Restraint
by MissThespian
Summary: Bella and Jasper are a homicidal couple on the run from the law who take young, meek Edward hostage in his own house. Jasper soon realizes that they are in over their heads, and are nothing but pawns in Edward's game...and that he will do anything to have the beautiful Bella all to himself.
1. Run

**Hello, and welcome to Restraint!**

**In case you have me on author alert, and don't recognize me, that's because I changed my name from ihatejacob1 to MissThespian. As explained on my profile, I still hate Jacob, but I decided that after going by that name for four years, it was time to upgrade.**

**Some of you who have known me for most of my time on ffnet know that I have troubles with updating and stopping a story due to lack of inspiration. Well, ever since The Wall, I made a major change. This time I put on my big girl panties, and wrote out the entire story, start to finish, before I even thought about posting it. So you won't have to worry about having me drop off the face of the earth for a year just because of writer's block. Now on to the story…**

**This story is based off of the Australian thriller Restraint, with Dave Warner as the writer and David Denneen as the director, released in 2008. I don't think it's too well known (at least in America), but when I watched it, I could easily watch it play out as a fanfiction, so that's how this story was born. I think people who haven't seen the movie will really enjoy it—and if you **_**have**_** seen the movie, you will still get something different, because I changed a lot of things—namely, **_**the ending**_**. I thought the ending of the actual movie was, well, how do I put this lightly? Lame. But who knows? You might think my ending is just as lame or lamer. Or you might love it.**

**I don't know. I tend to ramble. **

**If you want to watch Restraint, if you have Xfinity, it's free On Demand.**

**Oh and thanks to Lexie for sitting through the movie with me, then sitting through the fanfic to beta it!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. The idea for the story goes to Dave Warner and David Denneen, Writer and Director of the Australian thriller **_**Restraint**_** (2008).**

In a small town nestled in the remote Olympic Peninsula, there is a dirt road off the not so beaten path, leading to a lonely home, where an even lonelier recluse resides. His only companion is a little bird he keeps as a pet, named Volvo. His days have a set routine that revolve around a simple, yet crucial principle: stay inside. However, this recluse—Edward—finds that a ripple has broken up the tedium of his daily routine.

Volvo has escaped from his cage and is puttering around just outside his door, out of arms reach.

Edward stands guard at the threshold of his front door, the door cracked open just enough for him to stick his head outside to call to Volvo.

"Volvo, come back." He cajols, reaching out for him with some bird feed in his palm. He grows frustrated as Volvo dances just out of his reach. "Come on, Volvo!". Edward groans as the bird stares back at him blankly.

The bird cautiously steps closer to Edward's hand, and starts nibbling at the food; Edward sighs with relief, and starts to pull him back. Startled by the movement, Volvo leaps up and starts flapping chaotically. Not willing to let him get away, Edward quickly snatches Volvo up, and tosses him into the house just as he takes flight.

Edward sighs in contentment as he watches Volvo flutter against his ceiling; he wasn't going to let another one he loves try to leave him.

After a minute he gently picks up Volvo from a low hanging chandelier and places him back in his iron cage.

~~restraint~~

A few miles away at the nearly vacant local Forks gas station, a beaten up blue truck pulls up for gas. A man and woman barely in their twenties step out of the truck; the light haired, blue eyed, heavily scarred man starts filling up the truck, when a slender brunette wearing too much make up, too tight clothes, and stilettos heads towards the gas station for a drink.

Just as she is about to enter the shop, an older woman exits and accidentally bumps into the brunette. The woman automatically looks at the girl and laughs, "Oops! Sorry, sweetheart." The young girl just glares at the older woman and continues inside. The woman walks back to her car, eyeing the companion to the rude girl suspiciously.

A few minutes later, the brunette reemerges, smoothie in hand, and approaches her boyfriend.

"Want some, Jasper?" She holds up the drink to his lips. He studies the beverage.

"How much did that cost?" He asks with a heavy southern drawl.

The brunette rolls her eyes. "I don't know. A few bucks maybe?"

He steps closer, moving the drink out of the way. "Yeah? That quite a lot when you have fifty dollars to live on, Bella."

"I'll put in on my card, then." She says, unfazed, sipping her smoothie.

He shakes his head, "No, you won't. They can trace those."

She nods, and whispers in his ear, "Then give me the cash, Jasper. Let me take care of it."

He is no match for her persuasion, and acquiesces with a grin, smacking her ass on the way back to the shop.

When she presents the measly two dollars Jasper gave her to the cashier, he is unamused.

"Pay me the right amount of money, or I'll call the cops." He deadpans.

"That's ridiculous! It's four dollars and thirty cents!" She quirks an eyebrow at him, getting annoyed.

The man sneers at her and reaches for the phone. "Fine, have it your way."

He jumps when she slams her hand down on the receiver; he looks back up at her just in time to see her panicked expression turn to one of seduction.

She looks up at him through thick, black lashes. "Is there anything at all I can do to resolve this?"

The man grins.

Just outside, Jasper finishes filling up the truck with gas. He moves to take a quick glance in the trunk. He slams the trunk shut and starts walking toward the shop, not noticing how the trunk bounces open, leaving its contents visible.

Jasper steps inside the shop holding money to pay for the gas in his hand, but finds it devoid of life. He listens carefully until he hears the all too familiar sounds of Bella's former profession from the back room. He kicks the backdoor open, his vision red with fury, and rips Bella away from the man in mid-hand job. She fights him as he drags her outside; the man follows them, arranging his clothes into a decent appearance.

"How could you do this, Bella?" He slams her against the truck, begging her to tell him why she would do this as the cashier is shouting at them from behind. Bella is trying to explain while Jasper clutches her much tighter than he should.

Finally, the man's yelling gets to Jasper. As he turns around to tell him just where he can go, the man freezes as his eyes lay on the open trunk.

The cold body of Bella's former boss lays in the trunk, bloody and wrapped in plastic.

"Shit!" Jasper exclaims, and reaches for his double barreled rifle, also in the trunk.

"No Jasper, don't!" Bella screams as the man backs up, hands forward. But, despite the pleas of his girlfriend, Jasper takes aim and fires one shot at the man's chest.

Bella screams as the man falls, seizing on the ground, blood soaking his shirt.

"Get in the truck, Bella. Now!" Jasper shoves Bella into the passenger's seat. He then climbs into the driver's side and speeds away, leaving the dying man behind.

~~restraint~~

Silence fills the cab as Jasper pushes the speedometer to ninety.

"What the hell was that back there?" He asks, barely keeping his temper in check, not trying to hide his hurt. "What were you thinking?"

"What is Royce doing the trunk, Jasper? I think that's a better question." She spits back.

He lets out a humorless chuckle. "What did you want me to do? Leave him in the club for the cops to find?" He shouts; she flinches out of instinct. He looks at her, and sighs. "Bella, I'm trying to get you out of that life, and the first thing you do after leaving being whore behind is give a cashier a hand job for a _fucking fruit smoothie_?"

Bella tries to hide her tears at his hurtful words; she knows how he gets when he's upset. He's only saying these things to inflict as much pain as possible. She stares impassively out the window, until she spots the recognizable blue and red colors of a police car ahead of them.

"Jasper! A cop!" She shrieks in alarm.

He lets out a shuddering breath. "Just keep calm, babe. Act natural."

She shakes her head, getting hysterical. "No, Jasper. Turn off the road!"

"Get it together." He reaches over and grasps her hand as they approach the cop car from behind.

As they get closer, the police lights blink to life, and the siren starts wailing. Both of them watch with bated breath as the police car makes a U-Turn and starts down the opposite direction, towards the gas station.

They both exhale shakily. Bella looks to Jasper with pleading eyes, waiting for answers. He leans over and gently brushes the hair from her face.

"We're going to dump the car. It's alright baby, don't worry. I'm going to take care of you."

She doesn't respond as she watches Jasper take a sharp right onto a dirt road she didn't even see, straight into the forest.

After a solid three minutes of driving, they pull up to a seemingly abandoned mansion. As they get out of the truck, Bella admires the beautiful architecture of the Victorian house. It was probably once a magnificent mansion, painted bright colors. Only now, it's overrun with weeds and in sore disrepair. Bella loves the house anyway; she enjoys fixing broken things.

She and Jasper head for the garage at the side of the house. He gently pushes the door open, gun and hand, and they spy a car covered in a white tarp. They exchange excited glances and rush to it. When Jasper uncovers the car, he nearly moans.

"Oh baby, we've hit the jackpot! An Aston Martin Vanquish!" Jasper is tickled pink by this find. Bella smiles, happy to see Jasper so giddy after seeing him under so much stress due to them being on the run. But she doesn't see the value in the car, other than it being expensive, so they could get lots of money for it. Though, Jasper looks like he's looking at his first born child. He gets up after thoroughly inspecting the gloriousness of the car, and reaches for Bella. He clutches her tightly to him, and murmurs, "I bet the keys are in the house." They both start towards the house.

They creep up to the front, and are shocked to find the front door unlocked. They step cautiously inside. Some of the furniture is overturned, and some of it is covered in white tarps like the car; there are some exquisite works of art hanging disproportionately around the living room. There is one lone couch in the middle of the living room.

Bella stays safely behind Jasper and his gun as they sleuth around the house, searching for signs of life. Most of the rooms in the house look similar to the first one—empty.

Just as Bella and Jasper pass through a corridor, a completely oblivious Edward steps out of the bedroom, holding Volvo in his trusty cage. Neither party hears each other.

"You gave me quite a scare earlier, Volvo. I'm so glad I have you back." Edward whispers to his friend, as he walks past the parlor where Jasper and Bella just entered.

Jasper hears the echo of Edward's mutterings, and stops Bella in her tracks. "I think I hear something."

Bella shrugs. "It's probably rats." This house clearly hadn't been lived in for months, maybe years. She's sure they're alone.

Jasper isn't so convinced. "Stay here." He orders.

She gives him a sarcastic Scout's Honor salute as Jasper sneaks out of the room, gun ready.

Bella picks around the room, toying with cute little figurines she sees, when a light catches her eye. She spots the faint glow of an old television on the other side of the room. The figurine she held shatters against the hard wood floor.

"J-Jasper!" She calls, gasping for air. She twists around toward the door leading out of the room, when Edward steps inside.

Bella gasps at the sight of him, for more than just surprise. This man is easily the most attractive man she's ever seen, but not in the hard, weathered way Jasper is. This man has tousled bronze hair, gorgeous emerald eyes filled with shyness and quite awe. He is wearing a slightly wrinkled white button down shirt and pressed khaki pants. His stance gives off the feeling of smallness and hushed timidity.

Edward just stares in awe at this beautiful woman in his house; she looks so much like…

"W-What are d-doing here?" He inquires softly. She can do nothing but gape at him.

Jasper rounds the corner with a cry, and slams Edward down with the butt of his rifle. As soon as Edward hits the ground on his back, Jasper has the gun pointed at his trachea.

"Don't hurt me, please!" Edward begs.

"Shut up!" Jasper yells. He digs the barrel into Edward's throat. "What's your name?"

"E-Edward." He coughs out. Jasper lifts the barrel away.

He eyes Edward's side pocket. "Give me the money in your wallet." He commands. Edward goes for his pocket immediately and hands him the meager eight dollars in his pocket.

Jasper clenches the money in his fists. "What? This is all you have?" He scrunches up the money and throws it to the floor. Bella quickly moves to collect and put it in the pocket of her leather jacket. She was used to collecting ones off the floor. Jasper leans down further. "Where are your car keys?"

Edward gulps. "In the box, on the table over there." He points a shaky finger toward it.

Jasper glances at Bella and makes a head motion toward it. "Get 'em, Bella."

Bella quickly grabs them just as Jasper flips Edward over, and unveils some duct tape he'd found. Bella takes the gun, and points it at Edward, ready to shoot him if he resisted.

As he is tying Edward's hands together, Jasper grins up at Bella. "Be a doll and go see if you can find some money." She nods and sprints out of the room and into hallway.

As she wanders through the empty rooms of Edward's home, she can't help but admire all the striking pieces of artwork he has collected. Some very intricate pieces that speaks volumes to Bella. She almost loses track of what she is doing; it's like being in an art museum. She quickly starts raiding Edward's drawers, not finding much. She sighs, feeling like this is a hopeless endeavor, when she spots something peculiar hidden at the bottom of the drawer. She sees the corner of a picture frame, and pulls it out from under the folded clothes.

She sharply gasps as she beholds the picture—the glass in front is smashed, like someone punched it. But that's not what really shocks her. The woman in the picture looks so much like her, it was scary. Only, they don't look alike at all. Where Bella is edgy and sexy, this woman is refined and beautiful…stunning really. She is smiling a soft smile, that doesn't look completely genuine. It was pretty nonetheless.

Bella looks up at the adjacent mirror, comparing her heavy eye makeup, smeared lipstick, sex hair and golden hoop earring to the heartbreaking elegance of the creature in the broken picture frame.

In the reflection of the mirror, she sees the entrance to a closet with the light on. She sees the telltale signs women's clothing.

"Awesome!" She cheers and runs into the closet, pulling out expensive, posh clothes that are just her size. She is ecstatic to get out of her dirty clothes, but she's not one to really be excited over the cost of clothes, though she owns a closet full of them back home. She used to be a T-Shirt and jeans kind of girl…but that girl has been gone for a long time. She jumps around like a little kid in a candy shop, much like Jasper did at the Aston Martin Vanquish.

Jasper pats Edward on the head patronizingly and leaves to go try out that babe of a car; Edward lies on the ground, hopelessness sinking in. What were these people doing in his house? How did that woman look so much like Marie? He hates the man named Jasper, but can't find it in himself to hate the dazzling creature named Bella. She is so much like Marie, only with the light of pureness in her eyes that Marie lacked, despite their polar appearances. Edward feels himself become aroused at the thought of Bella's crass appearance in contrast to Marie's carefully composed visage. He quickly squashes these traitor thoughts; he has more important things to worry about than his silly ex-fiancée.

His ears pick up the faint whisper of a dial tone, and he turns to see that his home phone had fallen during his scuffle with Jasper, and now lay out in the open, inviting him like a seductress.

Edward hastily scoots towards the phone, a naïve sort of hope growing in his heart as he gets nearer.

Tragically, that hope is dashed when Jasper all but skips back into the room, a smug smile on his face. He quickly scans the room for Bella, then leans his head out of the door.

"Bella , get down here!" Suddenly Jasper is lying right next to Edward.

Edward groans in pain as Jasper places his elbow in the middle of his back, casually lying down. "So, here's the plan Ed. You're going to drive us down south, Bella will be in the trunk until we leave the state, and I'm going to be sitting right behind you, with this little old gun aimed right up your ass." Jasper chuckles as Edward gulps nervously. "When we get to Oregon, you're going to pull over to a service station, and withdraw all the money you can." Jasper pats Edward condescendingly as he pants, nothing but anxiety clouding his mind. Jasper gets closer to Edward's ear, "You see, I'm doing this because, my girlfriend, Bella…well she's got a soft heart. Freaks herself out whenever I kill someone, even if it's necessary." Jasper laughs a little. "Ridiculous right? You'd think she'd be more appreciative. Anyway, if it were up to me, you'd be six feet under already. Am I getting through to you, Eddie?"

Edward was nearly trembling, "I-I-I c-can't!" He whimpers.

Jasper grins, fully entertained by Edward's anxiety, "Oh really? I'm not sure you understand the gravity of your situation, Eddie…"

Just then, Bella waltzes into the room, wearing Marie's clothing. Edward gasps at the sight of her; she is wearing a sexy little black dress, and a costly overcoat with some black heels. Dangerous thoughts invade his mind, and Edward is suddenly grateful that he is lying on his stomach. Jasper scoffs and leans down to Edward. "Women, huh?" He lightly punches Edward in the arm.

"We need _cash_, Bella. Not some more slutty clothes for you to prance around in." Jasper says in a tone that makes Edward want to rip out Jasper's heart.

She nearly growls. "There isn't any."

Jasper snarls in frustration, and yanks Edward roughly up to his feet and starts dragging him to the front door.

Edward panics. "No! Please, you don't understand! I can't go outside!" He starts shrieking like a child going to get a shot at the Doctor's office. Bella grows uneasy at this.

"Jasper, please wait…I think something's wrong…" She pleads feebly. Jasper is unsympathetic as he opens the front door forcefully.

"Oh God no, please!" Edward cries out; Bella grows more horrified as Jasper viciously throws Edward outside.

"Jasper, stop!" Bella screams, hating to see such a quiet-mannered man suffering.

Jasper just laughs at Edward as he frantically tries to return back to the haven of his home. "Look, he's like a little kid." He kicks Edward further out into the yard. The further he is from his house, the more hysterical he becomes. Edward curls up into a ball, trying to keep himself calm. Jasper groans and starts dragging him to the garage. "Come on Ed, you're being a very bad hostage."

The sounds of a helicopter slice through the night air, and Jasper looks up from his wounded animal. "Damn it!" He mutters.

"Come inside!" Bella shouts, silently grateful to have a reason to end Edward's torment.

Jasper darts back up to meet Bella at the front door; he stops when he sees Edward still curled up on the ground, a look of pure agony on his face, like a burning man.

"Come on Eddie, come back in the house." Edward is too far gone to notice. "Get back in the house!" He yells.

Edward finally regains some control and scrambles his way back to the front door. Bella's heart aches as Edward crashes on the hard wood floor and stutters, "Pills, I n-need my pills." Bella feels a flash of contempt for Jasper. "In the b-bathroom drawer."

Jasper takes the stairs two at a time, glad to take the opportunity to be alone and collect his thoughts. He reaches the bathroom and rummages through the drawer. As he's looking for Edward's pills his mind is racing. He and Bella are suddenly in deeper shit than they'd ever been. The police are looking for them. They can't just leave; he has to come up with a completely different plan. He feels so out of control, it sickens him. He would regret the whole thing, had he not loved Bella so damn much. He loves her so much, it hurts. He loves her so much he would kill for her, and has.

Jasper finally returns with the pills. He grins to himself, endeared, when he sees Bella standing guard holding the gun at the back of Edward's neck. Jasper turns to Bella, "What's the matter with him?"

She shoots him a cold look. "He's agoraphobic."

"He's what?"

She sighs, exasperated. "He can't go outside. It's a psychological manifestation of an irrational phobia of the outside world."

Jasper is a bit taken aback that Bella knows this, "Is this what they teach at the strip club? Psychology and Lap Dancing 101?" Bella doesn't dignify Jasper's not so funny joke with a response.

Jasper smiles at Edward, and holds out the pills for him. Edward reaches for them with trembling palms, but just before he reaches them, Jasper dumps them all unceremoniously on the floor. Edward's face crumbles into one of complete terror.

Jasper pulls him up and towards the door again. "No, please no! Not again!" Edward screams and tries to fight Jasper off. Bella's heart skips a beat, and wants to protest, but doesn't say anything.

Edward is nearly weeping as Jasper throws him outside into his yard again. This time, Edward immediately starts crawling back to the door. "Grow some balls, Ed!" Jasper orders, and slams the door in his face. He turns to his love, "You said he can't go outside. He's outside now." Bella keeps her expression blank and uninvolved, hoping it will sway Jasper into ending this joke sooner.

As much as it shouldn't, it hurts her to hear Edward's sorrowful wails from outside. "Please! Please, let me in! Oh, God, why?" Such a beautiful, broken man, begging for mercy from one of the most merciless people Bella knows. Bella bites her lip and turns away from the sight. With each bang on the door, Bella's stone heart shudders.

Bella sighs in relief when she sees Jasper open the door again, but then cringes as he viciously shoves Edward even further back. He laughs at this, "He's like a human boomerang!" He looks back to be rewarded by Bella's mirth, but is only met with coldness in her eyes. Jasper sobers up at the look on Bella's face, and opens up the door all the way. Edward crawls back, but hesitantly stops just short of the door. Then, he rushes in when he realizes the door will not shut. s

Bella shoots an unreadable look at Jasper, and follows Edward as he crawls towards the pile of pills on the floor of the living room. Jasper growls and slams the door shut behind him.

~~restraint~~

**Thoughts? Comments? Make them heard, please! Everyone who reviews gets a sneak peek at the next chapter :)****  
**


	2. Hide

**Hello and welcome back to Restraint!**

**It's wonderful to see your bright shining faces again (figuratively of course)! First, I would like to thank all who reviewed, urge you to continue, and ask those who didn't to please let your opinions be known! I was also pleased to hear that some of you went out and checked out the movie for yourselves—awesome! It really is an interesting movie. I would like to reiterate that, even if you do see the movie, there are still some secrets left to be discovered, since the ending is different for this story.**

**I would like to ask that, if during your reading experience, you have unanswered questions, yearning to see more of a facet of the story, or look more in depth into the mind of a character, please let me know in a review. Although the story is completed, I'm still in the process of serious editing. Or who knows? It may already be there in later chapters ;)**

**Disclaimer: Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Restraint stuff belongs to Dave Warner and David Denneen.**

~~restraint~~

Edwards sits in the middle of the room in a chair, duct tape covering his mouth and binding his hands. He watches Jasper carefully as he paces back and forth, muttering curses, and trying to plan their next move. Occasionally, Edward lets his stare drift to Bella as she stands by the window, gazing out thoughtfully into the rain. If Jasper hadn't been in the room, Edward would have asked her what she was thinking; the crevice between her eyebrows and the slight frown her mouth seems to set on drives him mad with not knowing what causes the look. Edward quickly finds that reading Bella is an effortless and pleasurable way to pass the time.

Jasper continues to pace, and then speaks in a hurried tone, "Alright, we'll be fine. We just have to lay low, then in a few days the search will be called off and we can get out of here." Bella says nothing, but just looks at him incredulously. She doesn't want to be pessimistic; she knows Jasper is doing the best he can, but she doubts that escape will be that simple.

A spot of color catches Bella's eye on the muted television."Jasper!" She points to the screen. It has a picture of Jasper on it.

Jasper's eyes bulge and he looks like he might pass out; he whips his head towards Bella. "Where's the remote? Unmute it!" Bella scrambles for the remote but comes up empty. "Damn it, Bella. WHERE'S THE FUCKING REMOTE?" He screams. Then he starts panting and suddenly picks up a random figurine and throws it across the room. "FUCK! Damn it, Bella, they have my face! They have my face!" Jasper lets out another wail and kicks over a chair. He's still huffing when he turns to Bella. "If you hadn't reverted back to your whore instincts at the gas station, this wouldn't have happened. We would be long gone, but no, you just had to make me kill him. This is your fault, Bella, I hope you realize that."

Bella just clenches her fists at Jasper's ranting; she knows he doesn't mean it. She puts on a perfectly composed mask of calm so he doesn't see her distress.

Jasper is still huffing. "A dead guy at the gas station, huh? Well, this hostage is going the same way." He turns and stalks towards Edward, gun in tow.

"No he's not," Bella's perfect mask breaks. "You won't kill him." She hopes Jasper won't challenge her.

Jasper chuckles darkly, "You're right I won't." He shoves the gun at Bella. "It's time you did your own dirty work. You finish the job."

Bella stares open mouthed at Jasper. How could he ask her to do this? She glances to Edward who is looking at her with such fear in his eyes, any thought that she might kill him is gone. She turns back to Jasper with venom. "I'm not doing that."

Jasper grinds his teeth, "Why don't you get off your ass and do something, you _whore_?" He says with malicious serenity.

Bella can feel her cheeks heat up and her eyes start to water at the remark. "I'm not a whore."

Jasper smiles crookedly. "I'm not the only that thinks so, sweetheart."

Bella bites her lower lip to keep it from trembling, "I am _not_ a whore, Jasper." She turns away from him to hide her incriminating tears; Bella can feel her strength crumbling as tears generate in their ducts.

Jasper lets out a breath, rubs his temples. He doesn't mean to make her cry. "Aw, come on baby." He tries to turn her around to face him.

"Don't touch me." She mutters dismissively, and turns to stalk out of the room. She doesn't want Edward to see her crying; she's embarrassed that she let a stranger see her fall apart so easily.

"Aw, Bella come on!" He hears the sound of rapid footsteps ascending the staircase. "FINE. Go then." Jasper snarls, and turns to Edward. "I'll be right back."

As soon as Edward hears Jasper leave, he turns his gaze back to the telephone, still lying on the ground. Edward skillfully makes his way over to the phone without much noise.

Upstairs, Jasper approaches Bella as she lays face down on a bed, her face buried in a pillow. He sighs, "Come on, sweetheart, you know I didn't mean it."

She picks up her head, her eyes red and her mascara running down her face. "I'm not a whore, Jasper."

"I know that, pumpkin." He crawls onto the bed and removes the pillow from Bella's grasp. He leisurely climbs on top of her and straddles her hips. She looks up at him unimpressed. He puts on his cute pout, "Babe, I'm sorry. Please forgive me?" He leans down and places a long, sensual kiss on her neck.

"I don't know…" She replies, but he knows he's got her. He starts an attack on her neck, and she's not one to protest. Bella responds eagerly to his touch, and clutches his shoulders, digging her nails into the skin there. She pushes against his hips, asking for more. He continues to suck on her neck and grinds against her hips until he starts pulling down the straps of her dress. He picks himself up to fully appreciate the view and Bella frowns from the loss of contact. She reaches up to pull him back down to her.

"I'm going to do so many bad things to…" Jasper's sentence drifts off as he sees the phone on the nightstand. The light is blinking, indicating that someone in the house is making a call.

Downstairs, Edward is dialing 911 with his nose (which takes a while much to his discontent), when he feels the cool barrel of Jasper's rifle against his cheek. He freezes just before Jasper roughly flips him over and straddles his chest, pointing the barrel to his neck and rips the duct tape off his mouth.

"Do you have a death wish? Don't you worry, I can grant it." Jasper gleefully puts his finger on the trigger.

Edward formulates a way to get himself out of Death's eye in almost no time. "Wait! I've thought of a way to get you money. Lots of it."

Jasper pulls away the gun, intrigued. "How much exactly?"

"F-forty-thousand dollars." He says, luring Jasper away from thoughts of murder. "I can get it to you in two days."

Bella then walks into the room, after adjusting her clothes back into a decent appearance. "What's going on?"

Jasper smiles up at her. "Ed just made a proposition." He then sits Edward up on a chair. "This better be good."

Edward's clears his throat, "It's a trust fund."

Jasper stalks around Edward, like a shark hunting its prey. "Bullshit—"

"It's true," Edward intervenes strongly. "You take the first check to the bank tomorrow, and they will give you twenty thousand dollars. That's the account's limit for withdrawal. The next day, you take the second check to the back to cash the rest." Jasper appears unconvinced, so Edward goes on without pause. "Look, the bank knows of my er, condition. So, they will call here for a password. Once I speak to them, they will pay it out in full and you will have forty thousand dollars."

Jasper lovingly kisses the top of Edward's head, "And why would you do that for us?"

Edward glares back. "Anything to get you out of my house." And keep his life.

Jasper's gaze never wavers. "So they're just going to hand us twenty thousand dollars, cash?"

Edward's plan falls deliciously into place. "Yes if…" He turns his eyes to Bella. "If you become my fiancée, Marie."

"What?" Bella cries, terrified. "I don't look anything like her!" She knows she does, though. The woman in the picture could be her sister. It very well might work.

Edward speaks softly to her, like one would speak to a frightened animal. "When I first saw you, I thought… why I almost thought you were her. She's only been to the bank a few times—if you just dressed and acted like her, they would buy it!"

Jasper cuts in, "Where is this fiancée of yours?" He asks suspiciously.

"She's o-overseas." He replies vaguely.

"Jasper!" Bella says in a begging tone.

"Quiet!" Jasper orders her. She falls silent, appalled that Jasper is even considering doing this. He turns back to Edward. "Is this girl really as pretty as my Beautiful Bella?" Beautiful Bella is shooting daggers at Jasper; how could he think she could do this? He couldn't make her! "That dress is a perfect fit…"

"I'm not doing it! I-I'll get caught!" She stammers, grasping at straws, anything to excuse her.

Jasper snaps, "Why the hell am I the only one who has to take a risk? Huh? This is so typical of you Bella. You can't do a damn thing."Edward shoots a sympathetic glance towards Bella, but she doesn't see it.

Bella's lips are in a straight line and her eyes reflect her inner feelings of inadequacy when she speaks again, "Just look at me; now look around you. I don't belong here. I could never be her." She flees the room again, overwhelmed.

"Jasper," Edward starts, rage burning as it rises in him. "I don't think that's the way to talk to Bella."

Jasper purses his lips for a moment, then punches Edward right in the cheek for being a smart ass. He falls hard to the ground and groans at the pain. "Eddie, I don't think that's the way to talk to Jasper."

~~restraint~~

Bella sits alone in the guest room, letting the tears fall to her knees. She's never been so frightened. Even in her days as a prostitute, she was never this scared—she always had her boss to protect her from trouble, or Jasper. But now… this was all getting out of hand. The only role she knows how to play is the one she's been playing almost her whole life—the sexually free and unashamed woman of every man's dreams, the role she's trying with all her might to escape. She's just trying to find out who she really is now, with Jasper. How could she possibly take on another role? It doesn't help that everything she knows so far of this Marie, represents everything Bella wishes she had; everything that Bella ever wanted in life had been handed to Marie. Bella doesn't want that slapped in her face anymore than it already has been. She just wants security, and a simple life with Jasper now.

"Honey…" Jasper murmurs as he enters the room. He sits down next to her and starts rubbing her back. "It'll be okay."

She buries her head in her hands. "I'm so scared."

Jasper lovingly pries her hands away from her head and lays her down across his lap on the couch and gently cradles her against his chest. She sighs and melts into his strong arms; this is why she loves him. He shelters her from herself when she needs it.

"I know babe. I'm scared too." He tenderly kisses her forehead and rocks her back and forth.

~~restraint~~

Just before Jasper went to drink himself into a restful sleep, he was thoughtful enough to put Edward somewhere comfortable for the night.

Of all the places to put him, Jasper had set Edward down in the bathtub in the guest bathroom, and tied his hands to the faucet. Since Bella isn't around to read, Edward decides to solve some simple equations to pass the time.

As he begins to contemplate Existentialism and its effect on Quantum Physics, Bella enters the bathroom wearing nothing. _Nothing_, nothing. Edward's breath catches and he politely averts his eyes; she must not have realized he is in here. She wouldn't want him looking at her, he resolves. _Not yet at least_…He hears her sweet, melodic laugh. "Grow up, Edward. You can look at me you know." She bends forward in front of him, and forces his head up with her hand. She grins smugly as his cheeks turn red, but she can't help but feel a little self disgust. She is used to pushing that back though, so it isn't an issue. "Ever been to a strip club?"

Once she releases her grip on his chin, he stubbornly turns his eyes away. "No."

She sighs and walks towards the shower. "So, how long has this chick of yours been gone?"

He exhales heavily. "Six months."

She cocks her head to the side. "And you're not worried that she's with someone else?"

He shakes his head. "No, not at all." He replies with absolutely no doubt; however, he catches sight of her perplexed expression through the mirror. "S-She's not like that."

"Oh like what? Normal?" She replies, his comment turning into an indirect insult to her character in her mind. Edward feels stung by the comment.

"No; like _you_."

Bella can't help but feel the deep stab of pain at that very true retort. Her pain turns to anger, then vengeance. "Let me tell you something, Edward. They are _all_ like me."

~~restraint~~

Jasper rises from a deep and dreamless slumber to the sounds of banging. "It's too early for this shit."He groans and throws a pillow over his face. But the sound doesn't stop.

He stumbles up and off the couch to find the source of the incessant banging. He stops dead when he sees two silhouettes behind the milky glass window on the front door. A hand rises up once more and knocks three more times.

"Damn it!" Jasper exclaims; he runs upstairs and finds Edward still asleep in the bath tub. He rips him free of the binds.

"What's going on?" Edward mumbles groggily.

"There are people at the front door." He says, rushed. He grabs Edward by the arm and starts dragging him downstairs.

Bella appears at the top of the stairs wearing a white nightgown of Marie's. "What's happening?" She asks, still shaking off sleep.

"There are people at the door." Jasper growls as they reach the bottom of the steps. He then grabs Edward by the shirt collar and slams him up against the wall of the hallway. "Listen to me, Ed. You will get rid of them or I will kill two more people. It's your choice." He shoves him towards the door, and Edward stumbles. Jasper groans in frustration.

Jasper takes his stance out of view with the gun pointing straight at Edward's back. Bella takes a place closer to the door, but also out of sight. Bella and Jasper exchange a look, trying to reassure each other that they would make it through this.

Edward gently opens the door, but only enough for him to stick his head outside. He gulps when he sees that it's two policemen at his door; they don't question his lack of hospitality. They, of course, are fully aware of his condition.

"Mr. Cullen." The first policeman greets, with a tip of his hat.

Edward somehow forces a halfway friendly smile. "Yes. How can I help you?"

"Your housekeeper got in touch with us. She says she hasn't been able to get in contact with you through phone."

"Oh well—ah—you see…" Edward starts, fumbling, trying to create a sufficient response.

"Are you alright Mr. Cullen?" The policeman interrupts, his eyes probing him, analyzing every move he makes. "Would you prefer it if we came inside?"

Bella throws Jasper a troubled glance. Jasper quickly urges her to back up so he can get a good aim at the door.

The policemen, Bella, and Jasper all hold their breath as they wait for Edward to answer. Edward finally replies. "I've been overdoing it a bit on my medication. Y-you-you see, my fiancée just called a few days ago…she's m-met another man. She's coming here to pick up her things."

The policeman nods in pity. "I understand how these things can get to a person, Mr. Cullen. My apologies. But if you could give your housekeeper a call, we'd appreciate it."

Edward nods earnestly. "Yes, of course. I'm very sorry to have troubled you." The policemen nod, and Edward quickly closes the door.

After the door is shut, a few seconds of tense silence pass, before Bella leaps out of her hiding place, exuding pure euphoria.

"Edward, you did it!" She exclaims, throwing herself onto him into an embrace. She wraps her arms tightly around his neck and presses herself flush against him. Jasper watches unhappily as Edward's cheeks turn crimson and wraps his arms around her waist, returning the hug. Edward shudders lightly and uses all of his strength to suppress a guttural moan at the feeling of her soft, curvaceous body pressed against his. He buries his nose in her luscious hair and inhales deeply; it smells of strawberries and freesias.

"Shh!" Jasper hushes them. They both look at him with confused expressions. He glares at them. "I didn't hear the car start." They both freeze up in their place, before Bella slowly untangles herself from Edward and rushes to a nearby window. They both follow suit.

Bella sees the two policemen making their way towards Edward's garage.

The authorities are chasing a couple across the state, but have yet to catch them. They predict they went down south towards California, but they have to make sure they check all the hiding places where they could be. Edward Cullen is a strange man, but the town welcomes him due to his wealth; but, he really is innocuous. He couldn't do any harm, even if he tried.

However, the older policeman saw that Edward was acting more jittery than usual (which is quite a feat). He just has to check, to make sure Edward's only car is still in its permanent resting place. He almost hopes that the couple came here took the Aston Martin—it would be much easier to spot than any old generic vehicle.

The policemen shove open the garage door and see his Aston Martin Vanquish (that frankly was worth half the town) faithfully in its place.

"Chief says they're probably halfway to San Francisco by now." The rookie policeman says, inspecting the very nice car.

"You're probably right." He turns to his partner with a smile. "Let's get going."

Inside the house, Edward makes his way over to the phone as Bella and Jasper watch the police car drive away.

"Hello Kaure? Hi, this is Edward…Yes, I'm very sorry, and I wanted to thank you for your concern… no, no I was really touched, I'm glad you called… Listen, I don't want you to come in tomorrow, if that's okay… Next Tuesday is great... Oh, you know, the uh, usual personal things, Kaure..." Jasper makes a motion for Edward to end the call. "Oh, um, thank you, and until next week! Okay, bye." Edward quickly hangs up the phone, as Jasper claps Edward on the back.

"You did good, Ed. You did real good." He laughs a little. "You know, you'd make a very good criminal. Ever considered it?" He pats Edward on the cheek as he stays uncomfortably mute. "You've earned yourself a shower!" Edward actually cracks a grin at this news.

As Edward takes his blissful shower, Bella and Jasper take the liberty of making a big breakfast. Jasper takes a bite of his omelet and complains that it's too hot.

Bella quirks an eyebrow, "How are you going to live in Thailand if you can't handle _hot_ food, huh?" She puns.

He grumbles, "I've had Thai; it's these omelets made of lava I can't handle." Bella scoffs at his dig toward her cooking and continues digging into her breakfast. If there's one thing Bella can do, it's make an omelet. Jasper suddenly starts laughing, causing her to look up at him curiously.

"You know, I bet Eddie is a closet submissive." Bella chokes on her omelet and giggles, the image of Edward wearing a collar invading her mind. This spurs Jasper on. "If you hadn't notice, he likes it when I tie him up." He then impersonates Edward being tied up by placing his hands behind his back. "_Oh please Jasper, tie me tighter."_

"Stop it!" Bella giggles and throws a piece of bacon at Jasper. He beams her his bright toothy smile and stares at her seductively as he tears into the bacon. "You're so cute when you're an idiot." She laughs and gets up, finished with her breakfast.

Jasper smiles wider. "Now don't you call me cute. I'm not cute." Bella walks out of the room. "Kittens are cute!" Jasper calls back, loving that they can finally have a moment to be themselves again.

Bella dashes upstairs and decides to be kind and set out some clothes for Edward to change into while he showers. She collects said clothes and creeps into the bathroom.

Once she sets the clothes down, she can't help but stare at the almost opaque glass of the shower; the only thing hiding Edward from her. She tries to calm her heart at the thought of what the glass hides; Bella has seen naked men. Too many for one lifetime, in fact. But, for some unfathomable reason, though she loves Jasper with all her heart, she wants to see Edward bare. Sweet, pure, shy Edward—she wants to see him lose himself in the throes of ecstasy, to give in to dark temptation and thrive in it. And for one wild moment, Bella wants to be the one to show him how.

Edward feels her there. He's been staring through the glass at her silhouette ever since she came in; he's wondering why she hasn't left, not that he's complaining. The thought that she may be watching him too sends chills down his spine and makes his heart rate take off.

"Marie has a curling iron and flat iron in the cabinet." He calls, hoping to persuade her to take on the roll of his fiancée.

He sees Bella flee the bathroom, after making a quick stop at the cabinet.

~~restraint~~

**Uh-oh someone's not being a good Bonnie to Jasper's Clyde.**

**Updates will come a few days (about 2 to 5) after the previous chapter is put up depending on different factors.**

**As mentioned in the first Author Note above, please let any requests, questions, or comments regarding the story please let it be heard in a review! Also review because everyone likes reviews, and I am certainly no exception.**

**Remember all those who review get a sneak peek at the next chapter!**

**Now, chapter one got ten reviews… let's see if we can punch it up to 21 (or if I'm feeling wild and hopeful… 22 *GASP*)**


	3. Facade

**Welcome back to Restraint!**

**I didn't reach my wild and crazy goal of 22 reviews, but 21 is still awesome :) thanks so much all!**

**Thanks again to my beta loves.**

**Not much to say today... huh. Well then.  
**

**Disclaimer: Twilight stuff isn't mine, Dave Warner and David Denneen's stuff isn't mine. The ending is mine though. So there you go.  
**

~~restraint~~

Edward stands at the door to the guest bedroom, thinking he is unseen by Bella as she primps her hair with Marie's tools and various costly hair care products to make it look exactly like it is in the picture. Instead of the untamed, slightly wavy sex hair Bella had before, her hair now falls in soft, sweet ringlets on her collarbone and right above the swell her breasts; she is wearing a satin robe and a bra and panties set. All Marie's. Edward holds his breath at the remarkable transformation that has taken place; Bella was gorgeous before but now… he can hardly keep the X rated thoughts at bay.

"The bathroom's free, if you want." Edward's voice slices into the silence.

Bella turns around, knowing full well he's been there the whole time. She smirks at him. "No need. I'm done." She turns back to admire her work in the huge, gold framed mirror. She holds her breath when she sees Edward come up behind her. He is almost flush against her back.

"Take out the belly button ring." He says in almost a hopeful, fleeting way, like the removal of her body piercings will make his week. She gives him a skeptical look. "Marie wouldn't wear a belly button ring." She sighs and proceeds to remove her body jewelry. Edward lets out a shuddered breath, but he doesn't look nervous or frightened. Bella's heart skips a beat when she sees the intensity in Edward's eyes look at her from the mirror.

"What?" She asks quietly. He grins shyly, holding the unbreakable eye contact through their reflection.

"You're beautiful." His eyes are wide and filled with joy and a hint of lust. Bella feels her breaths getting shorter as she smiles fully for the first time in quite a number of years. She knows he really means it—the sincerity in his voice and the admiration in his eyes cannot be denied.

"Just keep your hands to yourself." She winks into the mirror and leaves Edward staring after her.

Jasper is relaxing in the living room whenever Bella enters; his breath catches at her radiance.

"Wow." He says, rising to inspect her fully. She smirks at him. "You're perfect." She starts to smile wider. "Spot on upper class bitch." Her smile falls.

"Hold on a second." Jasper says, hearing something he does not like from the television. They both move to stand in front of the T.V. set.

"_Authorities have now made the discovery that the disappearance of Royce King, owner of the popular nightclub _Twilight_, is linked to the Gas Station Murder that occurred a few days earlier…_" They both gasp in dread. Edward stands watch at the back of the room. "_Authorities have concluded that the man responsible for these crimes is twenty four year old Jasper Hale and is described to be armed and dangerous. He is also said to be travelling with a young woman in her early twenties…"_Jasper moves to stand in front of the T.V. when they shows a picture of Bella from a few months before, completely intoxicated, covered with dark make up, and glitter in her unruly hair.

"They think Royce is still alive; that's why there are choppers—"

"I can't go out there, Jasper." Bella cries, sinking down on the couch. "They have a picture of me!"

"Hold on babe, listen." Jasper kneels down to her level, and places his hands in her hands. "That picture doesn't even look like you—and see?" He points to the T.V. "They're looking for the truck that we're not even driving anymore."

Bella shakes her head, inconsolable. "Don't make me do it!"

"Stay with me, Bella." He puts his hand under chin and forces her to look at him. "They are looking for a washed up hooker—that's not you. Look at you! You're a brand new woman. Nobody will suspect a thing." He speaks to her in low, soothing tones. "They're looking for a couple; you're going to be on your own. That's just shit they put out, you know, just to rattle us. Get inside our heads."

Bella's frown deepens. "Can't I go tomorrow?"

"No!" Jasper shouts suddenly, and Bella flinches. He rubs his eyes with his hands. "For you not to go today and tomorrow, we would have to stay here even longer."

Bella shakes her head. "I can't go out there!"

Jasper kind of laughs to himself; a slightly crazy, exhausted laugh. "Well I can't do it can I?" He shakes his head and fiddles with his gun. "If you don't do this, you can kiss a good future goodbye." He stands up and Bella looks up at him with gloomy eyes. "And don't you dare cry." Jasper sweeps out of the room.

Bella wraps her arms around her torso, completely conflicted. Edward advances slowly, and places a gentle hand on her shoulder; he gives it a supportive squeeze. It chips away at her heart.

~~restraint~~

"_You are an angel_." Edward's father says to Marie on the video that Edward and Bella are watching with great concentration. Jasper sits in the corner, gun in his lap, nursing more liquor.

"_Your father is insane_!" Marie throws her perfect head back and laughs her perfect laugh that is just too perfect to be real. Bella is busy taking notes in her head and inhaling as much nicotine as possible to calm her nerves.

Suddenly Edward appears on the screen. "Ah, you don't want to see that." He laughs nervously and shuts off the video camera.

"Aw, is Eddie not camera friendly?" Jasper teases bitingly, but it falls on deaf ears.

"_Your father is insane_!" Bella imitates in haughtily, throwing in a cute little giggle that nearly matches Marie's. Edward looks at Bella in a strange way. "What?"

"That was perfect." Edward mumbles, almost to himself. Bella feels herself blushing, and takes another drag of her cigarette. "But Marie doesn't smoke."

Bella turns to Edward with defiance in her eyes. "Yeah, well I do." She rebelliously takes another drag.

"Hey." Jasper admonishes, snatching the cigarette away. Bella snarls at him. "Say something else."

She inhales deeply and gets into the right mental state, ignoring her irritation at having her cigarette taken away. She says slowly, "Would you please cash this check for me?"

"'_Would you'_, open your mouth more. T-Try to make the words more discreet—"

"Oh fuck off!" She snaps, growing more and more aggravated. "Nobody is going to believe I'm some wealthy socialite."

"No, no, of course you can pull it off!" Edward encourages sweetly. "J-just, try this. Imagine that everybody is younger than you. Like they're twelve years old. Everyone you meet knows less about the world than you do."

"Okay." Bella exhales and closes her eyes to try again. "Would you _please_ cash this check for me?"

"Excellent!" Edward exclaims jovially. "Now try this. 'Hello, my name is Marie Walker.'"

"Hello, my name is Marie Walker." Bella repeats flawlessly, and with a bit more assurance.

"Amazing." Edward replies, making Bella blush and look down at her hands.

"So, how did you and Marie meet?" Bella inquires. "Just, so I know the story."

"We met during my last year at NYU; she was an art major. We hit it off easily and I brought her home with me to meet my family." Edward answers.

Bella replies, "How sweet."

"She charmed everyone she met." Edward puts his finger under her chin. "People won't doubt that you are her."

"Alright Bella, time to get ready." Jasper interrupts, getting sick of the way they were talking to each other. As Jasper walks by Volvo's cage, he deliberately punches it, sending it swaying. Edward pretends not to be bothered by it until Jasper walks out of sight.

Edward then leaps up to stop Volvo's cage from rattling and soothes his friend. "Shh, it's alright Volvo. It's okay. He won't get away with that."

~~restraint~~

In the foyer, Bella paces, practicing her lines as the flawless Marie Walker. She is dressed impeccably, and Edward can't help but grow aroused at the sight of her so ravishing.

"Hello, my name is Marie Walker… no, no… Hello! My name is _Marie_ Walker…" Bella chants to herself, nearly driving herself into a seizure with the enthusiasm that she is rehearsing. Jasper sits in a delicate chair, watching her, and cradling his gun protectively in his hands.

Edward grabs Marie's driver's license from the buffet in the corridor where he'd left it earlier that day and walks to Bella. As he hands it to her, Jasper snatches it from Edward, throwing him a nasty look. He takes his place near Bella and places it in her palm. "If you get stopped, just say you picked up your old license." Jasper throws a hostile glance toward Edward. "It's just a fine."

Bella nods then straightens up. "Mr. Hale, would you be so kind as to pull the car up for me?" She recites in her newly refined Marie voice.

Jasper grins cheekily. "Why of course Ms. Walker, I reckon I will." His smile is erased as he sets his steely gaze on Edward. "I'll be _right back_." He then leaves to go get the car.

Bella sighs shakily to herself, the ugly weeds of self doubt invading her mind. Edward watches her thoughtfully.

"…You know, I wouldn't let you go, if I didn't think you could do it."

She shakes her head. "You just want to live. That's all."

He nods. "Well yes, there is that. I do." He walks up behind her and places his hand on her cheek. "But I'm not worried about you."

She accepts this answer and turns fully to him. "So, how do I look?"

Edward smirks and holds out his hand under her mouth. "Gum."

Bella rolls her eyes and slowly takes out her gum with her fingers, and makes sure to squish it into his palm. She then arrogantly turns to follow Jasper out back to the car.

Edward watches her leave until he can't see her anymore. He does a double take to make sure he is away from prying eyes, and then proceeds to put the gum in his mouth. He savors the flavor in a way that would make Jasper kill him on the spot if he could read his mind. The bubble gum flavor has been depleted, and all that's left is the taste of Bella; it's even more euphoric than Edward imagined, and his craving for more increases tenfold.

Outside, Bella approaches the car, completely in character. Jasper touches her face and leans down to place a wet kiss on her lips, but she stops him with her hand.

"Don't honey; my lipstick." She reproves softly before moving to get into the car.

Jasper is left fuming as he watches her drive away. He glares up ruefully at Edward in the window, and notices the gum in his mouth and the grin on his face.

~~restraint~~

Edward is walking casually through the halls of his house, thankfully without the accompaniment of Jasper, when he spots something completely extraordinary. Jasper has left his gun, just leaning on a doorframe, completely unprotected. He hastily runs over to the gun, but just as he's reaching for it, Jasper intercepts him from the adjacent room and slams him up against the wall, with his hand around Edward's throat.

"You did a great job, Eddie. I hardly recognized her." He says in a tone insinuating that he is not pleased at all.

Edward wants to spit at him. "Glad you approve."

"Oh, now I didn't say that, did I?" He corrects him, determination in Jasper's eyes. Jasper is a master at observation; he studies Edward with the precision of a hawk. "Did you enjoy yourself? Dressing her up, making her all perfect. Perfect for _you_." Edward quickly shakes his head. "Ah, it's okay Ed. You can admit it; she's hot right?"

"S-she-she's very sweet." Edward stammers, feeling a blush creep up his neck.

"Come on, Eddie. You've been checking her out since we minute we got here." He ends very seriously.

Edward continues to deny it. "No, no, no I haven't—"

"You saying she's ugly then?" Jasper taunts, putting more pressure on Edward's windpipe.

"No, of course not—"

"So you _have_ been checking her out?" Jasper smirks, digging his knee into Edward's spleen as well as tightening his grip on his throat.

"She's your girl, Jasper—"

"Bingo! You are correct sir." Jasper answers like a game show host, gaining much mirth from watching Edward squirm. Then he gets in his face and is deadly serious. "She's my girl." He watches Edward's expression, searches his soul with his probing, ice, blue eyes. "You wanna fuck her."

"Th-That's not true."

Jasper nods. "You think she's hot." He whispers, not joking at all anymore. "And you'd like to fuck her."

"No, Jasper!" Edward says, more hysterical.

"You think she's hot, and would like to fuck her—" He says in a sort of sing-song voice.

"No!"

"YOU THINK SHE'S HOT AND WOULD LIKE TO—"

"No, it's not true!"

"You want to fuck her, don't you Eddie?" Jasper asks, putting so much pressure on Edward's throat, it's hard to breath. "Come just admit it—"

"FINE! Yes, yes I do. I do want to fuck her!" Edward snaps.

"Ha! I'm only messing with you, Ed." Jasper smiles brightly and pats his cheek, but Edward can see the burning hatred in his eyes. He leans closer. "But, maybe I'm not."

~~restraint~~

_Okay, you can do this. You can do this. You are Marie Walker, here to cash a check. You own everyone here…_

Bella spends perhaps too much time in the car telling herself this, but by the time she is walking towards the bank, she is nowhere near comfortable or confident about her fake identity. Bella walks up the bank and thrusts open the door like that door was made just for the sole purpose of it touching her hand. She tries not to look nervous as she waits in line, but her paranoia is getting to her. She stiffens when she sees a wanted picture with Jasper's face on it.

"Next please." The banker snaps her out of her reverie. She plasters on a Marie smile and approaches the desk.

"I-I've got this c-check for you to cash?" _Shit_, she admonishes herself. That is not how she rehearsed it. _You're such a fuck up, Bella_. The inquisitive eyes of the banker make her lose her nerve. "I-I'm sorry. I've left it in the… in the… uh…" Bella turns around and flees the bank.

She exhales uneasily when she's back outside, defeated. She ready to just go back to the car and return to Edward's house when she spies a police car slowly cruising down the street. Bella spots an old antique shop, and she runs to take shelter in it.

She blindly backs up into the shop, and nearly knocks over an old-fashioned vase. "Ah!" She exclaims, catching it just before it falls.

"That's quite an elegant piece." The lady at the counter says, laughing quietly to herself having just watched Bella's display of clumsiness. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Bella looks up, stunned at how this woman doesn't question her identity. "Um, no. Just browsing."

The lady smiles warmly. "That's perfectly fine. Are you local?"

"Yes. We live just outside of town." Bella replies almost completely smoothly, finally getting the hang of being Marie Walker.

"That's great, let me get you a card." She turns around to get a business card. "I have connections all across the nation and overseas. Maybe next time you and your partner can…" She turns around only to find the pretty, young girl gone. "Or not." She sighs, deflated.

With renewed confidence, Bella marches to the bank.

"I have a check for you to cash." She says assertively to the same teller. The teller barely even blinks.

"Alright then."

Outside, the same policeman from Edward's door spots Edward's Aston Martin parked by the bank; his interest is peaked. He knows Edward would never leave his house. He inspects it casually, not having a proper search warrant to fully dive in like he's dying to. He resolves to investigate.

~~restraint~~

Edward and Jasper sit side by side on the couch, a foot of space between them, with Jasper cleaning his gun. Jasper jokingly reaches over and grabs Edward's hand and holds it in mock affection. Edward snorts and rips it away while Jasper chuckles at his reaction. Watching Edward's discomfort gives Jasper a bizarre high.

"Your chick, she's pretty hot. Hope you don't mind me saying that." He remarks, trying to get a rise out of Edward.

"No." Edward says in a way that makes it eerily seem like he really doesn't mind at all.

"Good, because I'd really like to fuck her." Edward seems completely unfazed by Jasper's acerbic word. He takes a step further. "How does she like it? Does she like dirty talk? I bet she does. I bet she'd like it if you called her a slut."

Edward stares blankly ahead, showing no sign that these words have resonated with him at all.

"Is she a moaner or a screamer?" He gets close to Edward's ear, sure this next one will get to him. "I bet she's a screamer."

Edward doesn't even look at him when he speaks. "You're losing her, Jasper."

Jasper chuckles a little, surprised by his response, but willing to play his game. "Well—"

"She's bored with you already." Edward cuts in nonchalantly. He says it in such as-a-matter-of-fact tone, it chills Jasper to the bone. "Haven't you noticed?"

"Shut the fuck up—" Jasper snarls.

"She's slipping away." Edward says lightly. "Like sand in a sieve." He even makes the motion to drive home the point. Jasper is boiling, wanting to rip out Edward's throat. The corner of Edward's lip lifts slightly, and he whispers, "How does that feel? Know that you're not…_quite_ adequate?" Edward finished serenely.

Jasper rolls his eyes and lets out one hard chuckle, trying to register the sudden wave of rage he feels. He then throws his gun to the side and leaps onto Edward. He wraps his hands around Edward's neck, fully intent on killing him, damn the consequences, but Edward fights back with just as much vigor. They attack each other, and knock over the couch, tumbling onto the floor; much to Jasper's shock, Edward gains the upper hand. Edward reaches up and lands one good punch to Jasper just under his eye, when the phone rings.

Jasper looks up at Edward, remembering begrudgingly that he cannot kill him yet. "If you don't answer that phone, you're dead."

At the bank, Bella waits with bated breath as the banker calls the house so Edward can tell him the password. She grows more worried as the phone doesn't pick up.

To add to her anxiety, the policeman from the house stands in the booth right next to her to make a withdrawal. Her heart rate picks up, and she searches for a way of escape without looking like she's guilty of something.

Suddenly, the dial tone stops, and she hears Edward speaking with the teller. She lets out a long breath, trying to calm her nerves.

At the house, Edward speaks to the banker, with Jasper pointing the gun right at his face. Jasper's eyes are wild with hatred and promises of revenge.

"We have a Ms. Marie Walker here—"

"Yes, yes. That's my fiancée." Edward quickly answers.

"What's the password?"

Edward clears his throat and replies. "Restraint."

"Good, thank you."

"We're going to be doing this again tomorrow. Is that alright?" He stutters, hardly able to notice anything but the coldness of the barrel of the gun against his cheek.

"That's fine."

"Goodbye then." Edward clicks 'end' and then rests his head in his hands. Jasper patronizingly pats him on the back.

Bella smiles in relief as the banker hands her twenty thousand dollars in cash; she can hardly contain her elation at the sight of so much money. She keeps her composure though. Marie Walker doesn't get excited over a measly twenty thousand dollars. She spends that much at the mall in a month.

She sees the cop in the corner of her eye, watching her. She gulps, takes the money and quickly thanks the teller. She turns without looking at the cop, and power walks out of the bank. She notices too well when he follows her outside.

She's almost to the door of the Aston Martin when he calls out, "Ms.!" She flinches and turns to face him with a wary smile. "Is this your car?"

She knows the answer to this one. "It belongs to my fiancée."

He walks closer to her. "The door was unlocked. We don't get much crime in Forks, but you can never be too careful. This is one nice car."

Bella nods, forcing a friendly smile. "Oh, thank you so much!" She gets in her car, and tries not to look like she's rushing as she drives away.

_I did it_! Bella thinks to herself on the way back to Edward's house. _Edward was right, I did it_! She laughs to herself, feeling free. She even revs the engine on the Aston Martin, understanding Jasper's excitement now. She had pretended to be Marie Walker, and nobody even looked twice!

When she walks in the door at the house, Jasper is the first thing she sees.

"Hey baby!" He welcomes her; he opens his arms for an embrace, but she doesn't notice. She needs to find Edward, to tell him the amazing experience she just had.

Bella spots Edward a few yards behind Jasper, smiling contentedly, pride glowing in his emerald irises. "Edward, you were right! I actually did it!" She claps her hands in exhilaration. She can see that her joy makes him happy. "It was extraordinary, they believed me!" She is so elated she can hardly contain herself.

"Where's the money, Bella?" Jasper asks in a low, unamused tone. She barely registers it though.

"Oh here." She tosses the bag of cash at Jasper, knowing he'll catch it. She turns back to Edward and takes his hands in hers. "They bought it; they treated me like I… like I was someone special." She finishes softly, her heart soaring.

Edward looks down at her tenderly. "You _are_ special."

Jasper takes out the cash and stares at it, completely in awe; any negative feelings he had about being ignored vanish. "This is great! You did good Ed. You did it baby!" He laughs and wraps his arms around Bella, picking her up and dancing around joyously. She giggles mirthfully at Jasper's mood, but doesn't take her eyes off of Edward.

As soon as Jasper releases her, she returns to Edward's side. "I was just so comfortable. It just goes to show what a little bit of effort in your appearance can do—a change in attitude! It's amazing!"She laughs and throws herself into a hug with Edward.

This time, Jasper does something about it. "Ah, but you can drop the attitude now, babe. You're amongst friends now, right?" His tone is playful, but his eyes are frigid.

She and Edward exchange entertained glances. "Oh, I apologize, darling. To what attitude are you referring?" She replies snootily.

"_Enough_ with the attitude, Bella. It's not funny." He commands forcefully. Jasper's face turns beet red when she and Edward just laugh at his order. Jasper snorts and goes back to counting all of his money.

Edward leans down to Bella's ear from behind, and wraps his arms around her waist. "I knew you could do it. You could almost be her." Bella looks back at him and gives him an affectionate smile. She's never felt so admired, loved, and cherished in her whole life. Being Marie Walker is becoming an addiction; people treat Marie Walker with dignity while they treat Bella Swan like the dirt beneath their feet. Except Edward. Edward treats her like a queen even as Bella.

When they hear Jasper stand up from his chair, they extricate themselves before he can see their compromising position.

Jasper rests his hands on both their shoulders. "We're going to celebrate tonight!"

~~restraint~~

**So the plot thickens... I'd really love to hear what you guys think of the new plot developments. Did it go how you thought it would go? Or did it go in a completely different direction than you expected? I'd also love to hear your theories; tell me how you think the story will go and how it will end!**

**Chapter 1 got 10 reviews, chapter 2 got 11 reviews... let's see if we can get 12 reviews. Punch it up to 33 :P (No wild and crazy dreams this time).  
**

**Any thoughts, comments, requests you have to look more in depth at something, hit me up!  
**

**Remember, all who review get a next chapter sneak peek :)  
**


	4. Celebrate Good Times, Come On

**Hello all, and welcome back to Restraint!**

**I apologize for not sending anybody next chapter sneak peeks—I've had a lot going on the past few days that have drained me mentally and honestly, emotionally. I finally got back to the story and I decided to just update instead of chase down every chapter 3 review and reply to it. **

**Disclaimer: Let's put it this way: I own the character's internal musings, thoughts, and the ending.**

~~restraint~~

The three unlikely companions sit around Edward's posh, mahogany, dining room table, the candelabras lit, and everyone dressed impeccably. With the exception of Jasper of course, who refuses to change out of his black T-Shirt and blue jeans. Bella wears a pale purple evening gown that shows a bit of her flat stomach while Edward wears dark slacks, a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a black vest. They all quietly eat their dinner—but Jasper doesn't like the quiet.

"So Ed," he starts. Edward sighs in annoyance and looks up at Jasper, ready to humor him. "Do you ever order out?"

Edward's eyebrows furrow. "I'm sorry?"

Jasper smiles crookedly. "You know…girls. Whores. Booty calls."Jasper makes the humping motion against the table.

Bella snorts disapprovingly at Jasper's crassness, but doesn't say anything; she can't believe he would be so inappropriate at the dinner table. Oh wait. Yes she can. She sighs and shoots Edward and apologetic look. Edward sends her a small smile in return.

"Six months without a screw, huh? No wonder you're so uptight." He laughs, looking to Bella for a positive response to his joking, and being disappointed. She refuses to meet his gaze. "Come on Eddie, you've got to live a little. Just look at that one glass of wine you have. That's a disgrace, man. You've been nursing that all night." Jasper takes the glass from Edward's hand and drinks it all in one gulp. Bella sends negative vibes to Jasper, but she doubts he feels them. Suddenly, Jasper's eyes light up. "Do you have any ice cream?"

Edward looks at him, flabbergasted. "In the freezer."

Jasper almost skips to the kitchen. Bella rolls her eyes and mouths 'I'm sorry' to Edward. Edward just shrugs it off and grins. Jasper returns with a bottle of wine and a tub of ice cream. Edward sees that, it is his most expensive wine.

"Um, Jasper, that's an expensive bottle of wine. There's some cheaper stuff in the—"

"Oh screw the cheap stuff, Ed. We're celebrating! Let me introduce you to a titillating sensation." Jasper then ceremoniously pops the cork, and Bella shrieks cheerfully. Edward catches her eye, and she blushes shyly.

Jasper quickly fills all of their glasses with wine, and drops a scoop of ice cream in each. Edward is eyeing the concoction warily, until he sees Bella immediately down the drink. She motions for Edward to try it. "It's delicious, Edward. Try it!" And because Bella said so, Edward doesn't hesitate to drink the whole, delicious thing.

As Edward is drinking his, Jasper finishes and all but slams the glass down like it's a shot of tequila. "Oh man, that's like poetry."

Whenever Edward finishes the drink, his eyes are wide with wonder. "Well, I'll be damned." Bella giggles at Edward's surprise.

Jasper claps Edward on the back. "Come on guys, let's move this party."

They all retire to the living room and Jasper perks up with a question. "What's with all the paintings? Are you an art dealer or something?" Jasper asks, eyeing the painting, not understanding their appeal.

"I used to be. I'm more of an art collector now." Edward replies, nursing another drink.

"I think that's great." Bella interjects, but Jasper talks right over her.

"You know, I used to be a dealer." He laughs, as if he were sharing a private joke with himself. "Drugs, though. Not as reputable as art dealing. My dad was too…I bet your dad is loaded too."

Edward's eyes darken. "Among other things." He replies vaguely.

Jasper's eyebrows shoot up, and Bella looks at Edward curiously. "Oh, so you have some daddy issues, do you?"

Edward doesn't meet his gaze. "You could say that." He downs the rest of his drink in one gulp.

"What about your mom?"

"She's dead."

Bella shoots Jasper a toxic look from the couch, but he doesn't glance at her. "I'm very sorry about that, Ed." Jasper says sincerely. "My mom's still alive; she breeds dogs. That's what I'm going to do too." Jasper says this with a sort of childlike joy in his eyes, free of worries and cares.

Edward appreciates Jasper's honest confession and raises his drink to that.

"What kind of dogs do you reckon I'll breed?" Jasper asks playfully.

Edward chuckles sincerely. "I don't know."

"Come on; guess." Jasper implores.

"I really don't—"

"Just guess!" Jasper suddenly shouts, looking pissed off beyond belief. Bella cringes and averts her eyes from Jasper's outburst, knowing it's the alcohol that's doing this to him.

Edward scrambles for a breed that Jasper might be interested in. "Rottweilers? Pit bulls?"

Jasper smirks as if he expected this answer. He pulls out a piece of paper from his back pocket and unveils pictures of...poodles?

"Poodles, Ed!" Jasper exclaims animatedly. "Miniatures. That's what I'm using your money for in Thailand. I'm going to start my own kennel. Look anywhere in Asia, and what do you see? Gucci, McDonalds, Wal-Mart—you see, when they get to a certain level, they all want to be white." Edward lets out an involuntary snigger at Jasper's candid speech, but quickly covers it up. Bella chuckles humorlessly beside them.

"Jasper…"

"Quiet, babe." He turns back to Edward. "Look little poodles! Soon, every one of the Asians will want one. Either as a pet, or as a high class meal." Bella giggles to herself.

Bella's laughter is contagious, and all the alcohol is getting to Edward, so he starts laughing too. The thought of Jasper, all hardened and weathered, nurturing little pink and white poodle dogs, was possibly the most comical thought Edward had ever had in his life.

Jasper's smile breaks, "What's so funny?"

Edward senses Jasper is close to snapping, so he tries to sober up as best as he can. "I like it, Jasper. I think it's a really good idea."

Jasper's bright grin returns, and it makes his eyes crinkle. "I knew you'd get it, Eddie."

Edward looks over at Bella and sees her digging through a nearby drawer. She pulls out an old vinyl record. "What's this?"

Edward's clears his throat. "It's jazz music."

Bella glances up at him through thick eyelashes. "How do you play it?"

He shifts uncomfortably. "Y-You don't. It's mint condition, never been played. It's a first edition."

Jasper looks at Edward like he had just sung the national anthem in Klingon. "What's the point of having a record if you're not going to play it?"

Edward searches for a harmless answer. "I just don't think it's your type of thing."

Jasper grows serious. "Put the thing on." Edward watches him for a moment to measure his seriousness. Jasper is sobered. Edward scoffs, slightly offended that he's ignoring his wishes to keep his first edition untouched (then again, what else does he expect from a captor?), but moves to put the record on. Jasper finishes the last of his drink. "Let's get something straight, Ed. You don't know anything about me. Got it? Nothing."

The opening of an upbeat jazz song starts playing through the room through the old record player, calming the mood instantly.

"See? I like that. It's nice." Jasper declares, starting to do a drunken jig in the middle of the living room. Bella and Edward both chuckle at Jasper's improvised dancing; Jasper's eyes land on Edward. "What are you looking at? Well, come out here and dance yourself. Show us what you can do." He moves to sit down on the couch.

"Really?" Edward laughs. Bella nods excitedly, and he acquiesces. He starts dancing like Jasper did, only his dancing is so much more graceful, it looks to Bella like actual dancing. It warms her heart so much to see Edward finally having fun, and letting go; she gets up to go join him. Edward's eyes widen in surprise and excitement when he sees her dancing with him. She giggles and shoves Edward down on the couch next Jasper. She then starts doing an impromptu dance for him—this, Jasper wouldn't mind, if it hadn't been meant for Edward. Jasper grinds his teeth.

Thoughts of homicide are temporarily wiped away whenever Bella reaches out for Jasper. He happily takes her hands and starts dancing with his girl in the middle of the living room, wanting to stake his claim on his love, right in front of Edward. But then, to his dismay and anger, Bella reaches for Edward as well, and starts dancing between them both, with Jasper behind her, and Edward in front of her.

Bella does this because she sensed Jasper's irritation building—she hates getting him upset. She really just wants to dance with Edward though. Edward's dancing is refined where Jasper's is sloppy and drunken. She settles on being sandwiched between them. Edward seems to have fun, and for the moment, that's all that Bella really cares about.

Deciding to be sneaky, Bella stealthily snakes out of the sandwich, with Edward not realizing she's gone. He's still dancing, and Jasper leans for Edward's ear, "I didn't know you felt that way, Eddie."

When Edward realizes he was dancing with just Jasper, he jumps at least three feet away; Bella's tinkling laughter fills the whole house, and Edward's heart.

Jasper chuckles too, "Okay you kids, I'll be right back, I gotta take a piss and a smoke." He walks straight out the double glass doors. He immediately finds an old, broken down shed. A perfect place to unwind and think of a way to secure his bonds with Bella.

As he's doing his business Jasper spots a painting facing the wall. _That's bizarre_, he thinks, _what's a painting doing out here?_ He carefully plucks it up from its place and has to squint to make sure he's seeing the painting right.

It's a painting of Marie Walker, just like the picture in Edward's room; only it's been sliced through, like someone cut it in rage.

Jasper can't help shake the feeling that something is wrong.

~~restraint~~

Inside the house, Edward groans in irritation.

"Doesn't he know there's a bathroom inside?" He asks to the air; his ears perk up when he hears Bella giggling at his comment.

A slower song starts, and Edward reaches out his hand in offering. Bella doesn't even have to think about it, and takes his hand. He hums in appreciation as she presses herself up against him. "You dance very well."

She smiles and drops her eyes, "You too, Edward."

He moves to catch her gaze again, "Are you a fan of jazz music?"

She nods, "And classical. Debussy is my favorite, but I like Beethoven as well."

Edward is astounded. How could such a cultured, kind, and stunning young woman be with someone like Jasper and involved so heavily with crime? "You should have never doubted that you could pull off being a member of high society—you have such sophisticated taste." Bella's mouth falls open. She searches for a reply but, just flounders around and shuts her mouth. "Debussy is my favorite too. I could never compose such songs as Clair De Lune, though."

Bella's eyebrows shoot up. "You're a pianist?"

He grins and nods. "Since I was ten."

"That's amazing."

"If you say so." Edward holds on to her closer; she doesn't protest, but instead, rests his head on her shoulder. "Any favorite books?"

"Wuthering Heights is my favorite book of all time!" She admits shyly. Edward studies her, confounded. Bella quickly grows uncomfortable under his gaze. "What?"

He shakes his head, most of his lighthearted visage gone. "I just don't understand it. How someone as brilliant as you could end up like this."

Bella's mood sinks, and she throws Edward's hands off of her. "You don't know anything about me, Edward."

He reaches out for her hand and takes it. "I know that dead beat doesn't deserve you. He treats you terribly. It's almost blasphemous how badly he treats you. You're made of finer stuff that he is." He says with much more force and confidence than she's ever heard from. She wonders where this bold Edward had been, and can't help but become a little endeared to him.

But Jasper loves her as much as he can. He may not be perfect, but he is hers. "Don't touch me." She rips her hand out of his and stalks away. Edward follows her.

"You'll never make it to Thailand—you don't even have a passport." Edward reasons.

"Jasper has it all figured out." She shoots back.

"But things are different now. There's all sorts of security checks and screenings. Trust me, you will both be caught."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Edward!" She knows he does know what he's talking about, and that scares her. Every hope she has about escaping her hellish life revolves around her and Jasper running away to Thailand.

Edward steps closer to her and grabs her by her forearms, not too tightly though. "Things have changed, Bella. Jasper has murdered two people. They're going to catch up with you."

"Jasper!" Bella shouts, not wanting to accept what Edward is saying.

"Listen to me, Bella." He holds eye contact with her. "You haven't done anything wrong. Just, look at you." Edward places one hand on her cheek. "You're so beautiful. You have your whole life ahead of you. You could turn yourself in tomorrow, and walk." By the end of his speech, he is cradling her face in his hands.

She closes her eyes to hide her pain. "Walk to what, Edward? Back to Seattle? Back to a life of throwing away my dignity just so I can survive? Back to a life where my dad is dead and my mother shuns me for not being good enough? What kind of life is that?" She's ashamed of her past, and knows Edward will finally see her for what she is. But to her surprise, Edward releases her face and captures her hands. She glares back up at him.

The wound in Bella's heart is open wide for Edward to see. She's spent so long repressing her past, she's forgotten how much agony is accompanied with remembering it. Bella hates to think about how ashamed her father, her idol, would be, knowing how her life has gone. She doesn't want to imagine him watching her, as she pleasured men, even ones older than him. She wants him to remember her to be the good, determined, and proud girl he knew. Even more so, she doesn't want to remember how she lived alone with her mother, a broken girl, after her father was ripped from her by the hands of terminal disease when she was fourteen. She doesn't want to remember how she'd gone to her mother, looking for love and comfort, and had only found criticism and rejection. She'd needed Renee to be a mother then more than ever, and she had denied her. The night Bella had run away, at the ripe age of seventeen, she recalls how Renee had drunkenly begged Bella to get out of her sight, because _she looked too much like him_. Bella decided she would do both of them a kindness and get out of her sight forever. She'd left her home of Phoenix and taken her truck as far north as she could until it officially broke down in Seattle; with nowhere near enough money to repair it, Bella set her roots down in Seattle doing the easiest thing she could do for the most money—strip, and eventually sell her body.

Bella shudders, pushing back tears and breaks out of her reverie. "Jasper loves me just the way that I am."

"But you don't love you the way you are." Edward whispers, with nothing but affection in his emerald eyes.

"Boo!" Jasper shouts from across the room, and the two jump apart. When they look back, they both gasp sharply.

Jasper has the painting of Marie Walker, with his head sticking through the gash in the painting.

"Hey, Ed! I found this outside." He admits gleefully then turns very grave. "I thought you might have lost it."

Bella can only gape at Edward. What happened to the painting of Marie? Did he do it?

Edward's reaction spurs a chuckle in Jasper. "You reckon an art critic did this? Or have you been a bad boy?"

Edward tries to swallow the lump in his throat unsuccessfully. "She left me."

"Crap!" Jasper replies, still talking through the gash in Marie Walker's torso.

Edward pinches the bridge of his nose. "She left me, Jasper. Alright?"

"Haha, bullshit!" Jasper replies with self-assurance. "A pampered bitch like her just walks out without any of her stuff? Her clothes, jewelry, and make up?"

Bella looks to Edward, wanting to know the answer as well. She doesn't understand it either.

Edward swallows hard and averts his eyes from both of them. "She left because, my father paid her a great sum of money to disappear. And she did." Edward looks like he's fighting back tears. "They met for lunch, and I never saw her again."

Jasper shakes his head. "What kind of dad would do that?"

Edward meets Jasper sure gaze and explains grimly, "He always said she was a gold digging liar. I guess she was."

Jasper lets out a strangled laugh. Bella buries her head in her hands out of embarrassment, and Edward stares off into space. "Oops. Well, I guess I brought this night to a rewarding ending."

~~restraint~~

**So there you go; theories, thoughts, and comments all go in reviews.**

**I'll give sneak peeks this time.**


	5. Options

**Welcome back to Restraint!**

**I know, it's a little early for an update, but in honor of **_**Edward's 111**__**th**__** birthday**_** today, I decided to post a little chapter with a bit of citrus-y (lemon-y? Lime-y? How do I terminology?) goodness.**

**A quick note: Some of you are wondering how Bella and Marie look so alike; the movie never specifies but I've wondered that as well. Let me put it this way. Bella lived with her parents in Phoenix all her life; that's not to say that Charlie's roots don't lie in Washington already, unbeknownst to Bella. It's very possible that she has some family, cousins and such already in the state. Not saying that's what happened, but it's possible ;) **

**Thank you all who reviewed and enjoy the reading!**

**Disclaimer: *close your eyes and imagine I took the time to write a Disclaimer***

~~restraint~~

Bella sits in the middle of the large bed, flipping through pictures of Marie Walker and Edward, fascinated by their past. She feels a wave of slight envy wash over her with every picture she looks at, but that doesn't stop her from looking. Jasper paces the room, getting ready for bed.

"The way he keeps all of her stuff… it's fucking sicko." Jasper spits as he sets his gun down.

"I think it's romantic." Bella says softly, looking up from the photographs. "It kind of makes me miss Jacob." She sighs, thinking of her very first love; they were boyfriend and girlfriend when they were twelve, and oh so devoted to each other until he moved away, never to be seen again.

"Who?" Jasper asks, wrath burning in his voice.

She glances up at him, and shrugs trying to play off her mistake at mentioning another boyfriend of hers. "No one." Bella yelps when Jasper's hard hand smacks her cheek. She falls the bed, clutching her cheek, trying not to show her pain.

"I shot your boss's head off! I fucked up my whole life—Bella, have you ever actually stopped to appreciate that?" Jasper screams, as Bella gets up. Angry tears collect in her eyes.

"How about whenever you were indebted to him and you needed more time to pay? Huh? Who screwed him so you could have time to get money?" Bella growls and tugs at her hair until she thinks that she could pull it out if she pulls a little harder. "And I never asked you to kill him, Jasper! You could have just paid him. Just paid him— and we could have been on our way!"

Jasper chuckles and gets closer. "Is that right?" He smirks, reaches up and grabs Bella by her hair and sits her down on the bed. "You know Bella, I see the way you talk to Ed; throw yourself at him. But you know what? I don't care. Because, I know that you love me. Right, Bella?"

Bella just glares at him scornfully.

Jasper tugs on her hair a little harder. "Do you love me, Bella?"

She lets out a shaky breath, "What do you think?"

Jasper leans forward until their foreheads are pressed together, and his hand moves to capture the back of her neck. "I've got to believe you love me, Bella. Because, if I don't, I might as well shoot my head off right now." Jasper moves his hand to make a gun gesture and points it at his head. "Do you love me?"

"Yes." She whispers brokenly.

"Good." He kisses her forehead, the weight on his heart has not been lifted. Something catches his eye. He bends down to the ground and picks up the framed picture of Marie Walker. "That necklace she's wearing, it must be worth fifty grand." Bella examines the necklace, and he's right. The necklace is adorned with glimmering diamonds and other precious gems. "Do you think you can get him to tell you where it is, sweetheart?" Jasper's hand wanders down to cup her breast. "You know, seduce him a little."

"Ugh, no Jasper." She shoves his hand away, completely disgusted with him.

Jasper's eyes darken. "You did it tonight, why not now?"

"We were just having some fun." She defends herself. That dance she had with Edward was special to her.

He cups her head with his hands and brings her closer. "Hey…I'm not saying sleep with him. I'm just saying, you know, do what you did every night at the strip club." Bella looks away from him in shame. "Or are you too good for that now?"

Bella feels the tears pouring over; she doesn't want to deceive Edward. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

Jasper nods in understanding. "Yeah. You're right. I'll just break his legs. That ought to get it out of him."

"You fucking bastard." Bella snarls, shoving him away.

Jasper picks up his gun and pretends like he's heading towards Edward's room. "No, this way is better. This way you can keep your virginity—oh wait..." He says sarcastically.

"I'll do it." Bella cries, gripping the gun's barrel. Jasper turns around, his smile knowing and disgustingly smug. He brings Bella into his arms and pecks her on the lips.

"That's my girl." He murmurs with a wink.

Bella grinds her teeth. "Why are you such an asshole?"

"We're not like him, Bella. You're not like Marie. We're different."

Bella twists out of his embrace, but Jasper snatches her forearm. She looks up at him, begging for him to do something so she can act on the rage in her heart. After a good squeeze, Jasper releases her arm so that she can do what she does best.

As soon as Bella is gone, Jasper whips out a cigarette to drown his guilt… and jealousy.

Jasper did get one thing right; Bella _is_ too good for that. She always has been.

Without knocking, Bella walks into Edward's room where his arms are tied to the headboard. He's not asleep; he's surprised, yet pleased to see her.

"Jasper's going to break your legs if you don't tell me where her jewelry is." She tells him outright in an act of rebellion against Jasper. "So it's in your best interest just to tell me right now."

Edward acquiesces immediately. "It's in the bank."

Bella leans forward, eagerly. "How do I get it?"

Edward studies her with an indecipherable expression for a moment. Then he whispers, "I'm only going to tell you on one condition. You get the money, and the jewelry, and then you call the police and you disappear." A flash of agony crosses Bella's face before it grips her heart.

"I can't do this." Bella sobs and collapses onto his chest, taking refuge there.

"It's alright, Bella. It's going to be okay." She almost laughs at the irony of the hostage comforting the taker.

"No it's not." She wipes her tears and lifts her head to look down at him. "You must think I'm such a bad person." She croaks , then sobs into his shirt more.

"No, of course not." She picks up her head again and meets his eyes. "We've all done bad things when we're desperate." She turns her head away. "Look at me. I would be dead already if it wasn't for you."

"Just tell me how to get it." She begs.

"Promise." He demands feverishly. "Promise that you will take the money, and you will go."

"Okay fine. I promise, Edward." She says, toying with the collar on his shirt absentmindedly.

"It's in a safety deposit box under Marie's name." She almost doesn't notice Edward's eyes flickering down to her exposed cleavage resting on his chest. "The keys are in my pocket."

Bella quirks an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. She doesn't break eye contact with Edward as her hand crawls down his torso to his pocket; her hand goes fully into the pocket of his slacks, but she can't feel the keys. Her breath catches as she does feel _something_. Her throat clenches and her mouth goes dry, but she does not remove her hand. Her heart races and her cheeks flush as she looks at him with a confused expression.

"They're not here, Edward." She mutters softly, still gazing into his eyes. She leans in closer.

Edward cracks a crooked grin. "No. They're in the music box in the parlor room."

Bella's stomach flutters and without thinking she closes the distance between their lips. Maybe she just feels guilty about invading his life the way she and Jasper did, or maybe deep down, she discovers that she is worthy of Edward and his bashful looks, tender caresses, and strangely sexy mannerisms. Kissing him is so different from kissing Jasper; Edward's lips taste like mint and cinnamon, instead of nicotine. Edward's lips are soft, and Bella feels herself pressing herself up against him as much as she can. She removes her hand from his pocket and places her hands on either side of his face and they get deeper into the kiss. She swings her leg over his narrow hips and he groans as she presses down on him. Bella's skin is heated and it feels like she's drowning in a delicious fire; she's never wanted anyone as much as she wants Edward right now. She wants him to devour her; body, heart, and soul. She wants to lose herself in him. Edward is returning the kiss with fervor and moans at the way he's almost where he wants to be with her straddling his hips, but he's not quite there. All too soon, the kiss is getting more heated than either of them imagined.

In the other room, Jasper is unsuccessfully trying to reign in his jealousy. Truthfully, Jasper didn't just get Bella away from her life of whoring and stripping just because she wasn't happy with it. No, Jasper was insanely jealous of every man that laid eyes on her, and nearly murdered every man that touched her back when she worked for Royce King. Bella is special—too beautiful and sweet just to be a pair of open legs. Bella deserves to be cherished. Jasper vows to treasure her the way she deserves as soon as they get to Thailand.

But for right now, Bella is in the other room, turning on another man so that they can get there. It's a catch twenty-two, he realizes it, but he is a desperate man. However, soon the envy becomes too much.

"Fuck this." He mutters. No one was going to have his Bella but him.

It takes him two and a half seconds for him to burst into Edward's room, only to find Edward lying in bed, alone. Edward carefully makes his expression surprised, but he already guessed that Jasper's possessiveness would get the better of him. Without saying a word, Jasper stomps over to the bed, and sniffs all on Edward, smelling for Bella. He smells a faint whiff of her scent, turns on his heel, and slams the door shut.

He finds her in the bathroom. Bella is trying to wash off the guilt, shame, and nearly painful arousal with a lukewarm shower. Jasper wordlessly steps into the shower behind her, and turns her around. She stares up at him blankly, knowing what he wants. Jasper leans down quickly and starts kissing her vehemently. He needs to know that his bonds with her are secure. He needs to know that she still belongs to him; Bella stays still and lets Jasper take what he wants, feeling guilty over her amazing kiss with Edward. He growls in agitation at Bella's unresponsiveness. He kisses her harder, but she's still as passionate as a dead fish.

He pulls back, searching her eyes for some spark of lust or affection. But her eyes are completely emotionless, just waiting for him to take her so she can get it over with.

Jasper watches her unchanging, devastatingly neutral expression, as the agony rips through him. He backs out of the shower in humiliation, then turns to punch a hole in the wall, imagining that it's Edward's head.

~~restraint~~

**Thoughts, comments, and theories all go in reviews. Remember all who review get a next chapter sneak peak.**

**Leave Edward some birthday wishes in a review too! **


	6. Breaking Points

**Welcome back to Restraint, and stuff.**

**Just going to put this out there—this chapter isn't very well edited by me (my betas rock don't get me wrong). **

**Thank you to all who reviewed, they all really help me with my …you know, my life and stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Restraint things. Except the ending, and various snippets throughout the story.**

~~restraint~~

The next morning, Jasper and Edward sit in the living room, staring each other down as Bella is upstairs getting ready to go back to the bank. Jasper watches Edward with hawk like eyes, while smoking yet another cigarette. He is exhausted; the smell of body odor, dirt, and nicotine cling to his clothes, but he refuses to wear the light pastel colors that paint Edward's wardrobe. Jasper occasionally lets his gun slip so that it points at Edward, hoping to inject some much needed fear into his heart. But Edward remains the poster child for composure; he wears a light blue button down shirt, nice black slacks with a belt, faint cologne, and a pleasant smile that grates on Jasper's psyche.

The clicking of high heels breaks up the thick tension in the room as Bella enters. She wears a cream colored dress that goes down to her knees with a high neckline. Her hair is down and wavy, but pulled back conservatively, and wears red lipstick.

"So? What do you think?" Bella asks the room as she twirls around for a panoramic view.

"Great." Jasper comments. Bella looks to Edward for true approval.

Edward glances at Jasper, then looks back at Bella. "Your lipstick should be lighter."

Sensing the battle for control Edward has waged, Jasper responds. "It's fine."

Edward cocks an eyebrow. "It's not right."

"It doesn't matter." Jasper presses, not will to let Edward gain control over Bella.

"Marie would never wear that shade of lipstick with that dress." Edward rebuts coolly.

"As if they care at the bank." Jasper seethes, becoming more troubled.

Bella watches this exchange with bewilderment, and chooses to end it. "I'll change it." Jasper shoots a deadly look at her. "We might as well get it right." She declares logically, and then leaves to change her lipstick.

Edward turns to gaze at Jasper smugly. Jasper chuckles hard, takes a drag of his cigarette, and starts mockingly applauding.

Minutes later, Jasper is outside, bringing the car around for Bella. She approaches the car door, and he opens it for her. "Thank you, Mr. Hale." She says in her Marie voice as she sits down in the driver's seat.

"Wait." He holds the car door to keep it from closing. He leans into the open cab. "Don't forget who you are, _Bella_."

She glowers at him frostily until he removes his hand, and she closes the car door. She drives away without looking back. Jasper stares after her, coddling his gun and cigarette, until long after she's out of sight. Finally, he turns to return to the house.

~~restraint~~

In the kitchen, Jasper watches Edward warily (a habit he's developed over the past few days) as he whistles to his bird, Volvo. Edward and Volvo are having some odd conversation using only whistles, and it pisses him off. Everything Edward does pisses him off. Edward's face is alight with joy as Volvo answers his calls with his own whistles.

"Meow, meow." Jasper meows lowly, causing Edward to shoot daggers at him. He smirks, knowing he's found a way to get to him.

Edward's face changes to one of pleading. "Do you think you could, possibly untie me? So I can give Volvo some water?" He asks, politely.

Such a simple, asinine request. That pest wouldn't be needing water much longer, though. He tranquilly sets his cigarette down, picks up his gun, and shoots at the cage. The bird explodes into nothing more than a few feathers and pieces of bone on the floor.

Edward turns feral. "NO!" He leaps up from his chair and examines the remains of Volvo. Tears are collecting in his eyes as he bends down and sees all that is left of his one, true friend. He growls savagely as he turns back to Jasper. "YOU FUCKER! YOU BASTARD!" Jasper chuckles gaily at Edward's deep emotional trauma.

"I guess I don't have to untie you now." He teases.

"You're never going to get your money now!" Edward screams; Jasper would pay dearly for this, he would see to it.

"Ah, come on, Eddie. It's just a stupid bird." He takes delight as Edward flinches at the term 'stupid bird'. "I didn't even cry that much when my Nana died."

Edward looks him dead in the eye. "Fuck you."

Jasper sobers up. "Sit down, Eddie."

"No." Edward replies tenaciously.

"Sit. Down."

Edward snarls, "No, you're going to kill me anyway. Fuck you. FUCK Y—"

"I said _sit down_!"

"NO!"

The phone ring interrupts their screaming. Jasper stares Edward down, and then tauntingly starts whistling, just like Volvo used to. Edward goes rigid and almost growls again.

"Go get the phone, Ed." Edward doesn't move.

Jasper whistles again, and moves the gun barrel so it's pointing at Edward's temple. But this time, Edward leans into the gun, silently challenging him to kill him like he's wanted to all this time. Jasper then grabs the phone, answers it and holds it up to Edward's ear.

"Mr. Cullen?"

Edward doesn't answer.

"Mr. Cullen, are you there?"

"Answer it, Eddie." Jasper whispers.

He swallows hard. "Yes, this is he."

"Your fiancée is here again. Can we have the password?"

"Restraint." Edward answers lowly as Jasper clicks off the phone.

Jasper drops the phone to the ground. "The game is over."

Edward shakes his head. "You don't have to kill me."

"Sorry, Ed. I've got no choice."

"Wait—" Edward says, holding off the gun as Jasper raises it. "What if I told you…that I had done something? Something illegal?" Jasper's interest is peaked.

"So you have been bad, haven't you?" Jasper says, but there is no smile on his face. He shoves Edward down into his chair, and takes his place across from him.

"It's about Carlisle, my father, you see." He took a shaky breath. "He slept with her."

Jasper smirked like a teenage girl who had just learned the juiciest gossip. "What? Your father slept with your fiancée?"

Edward nods solemnly. "That's why—er, he paid her off. He wouldn't let us get married. They were having an affair."

Jasper's mask breaks and he laughs long and hard, until he looks back up at Edward, suddenly empathetic. "That's bad, Eddie. I just don't know if that's bad enough to save you—"

"I _killed_ him." Edward snarls, his eyes suddenly blazing with fury. "I killed my father for sleeping with my fiancée." Edward seems lost in thought, while Jasper is on the edge of his seat. "Although I wanted to do it myself, I went the safe route and paid a man one-hundred thousand dollars in cash to do it for me. He made it look like an accident on my father's boat. He gave me a photograph to prove that the job was done. You could take it with you, and you won't have to kill me. You will always have it over me."

Jasper reads Edward for a moment, gauging his honesty, before he breaks it with a hard laugh. "I'd like to see this photograph."

~~restraint~~

"Mrs. Stanley? There's a Ms. Walker, here to see you." Bella stands outside the door of a banker, while a teller introduces her.

She turns to greet the banker with a smile, only to have it falter when she sees the woman; she is familiar.

_Just as she is about to enter the shop, an older woman exits and accidentally bumps into the brunette. The woman automatically looks at the girl and laughs, "Oops! Sorry, sweetheart." The young girl just glares at the older woman and continues inside. The woman walks back to her car, eyeing the companion to the rude girl suspiciously._

Bella can feel herself start to panic, but she reigns it in and composes her face. The older woman seems to notice something amiss about the girl, but seems to dismiss it.

"I just need you to sign here, Ms. Walker." She puts a form and a pen on the desk in front of her. Bella takes the long two steps towards it and quickly signs the form with her practiced Marie Walker signature. Bella rushes it, just wanting to get out. She tries to hide her face behind her hair.

The woman studies her, "We've met before, I think."

Bella keeps her terror internal. "Have we?"

"Can't think where." The woman brushes it off. "It'll come to me; always does." Bella sincerely hopes not. "Come dear." She leads Bella to a back room, and pulls the safety deposit box out of a safe. She sets in down on the table next to Bella and leaves her to it.

Bella looks left and right, thinking she'll get reprimanded for going through Marie Walker's jewelry, but nobody gives her so much as a second glance. She sifts through the diamond tennis bracelets, pearl earrings, and an envelope (stuffing all of them in her purse), until she finds the necklace. Bella's breath catches at its stunning radiance. She's nearly hypnotized by its beauty.

Checking over her shoulder one more time, she buries it at the bottom of her purse, with her other treasures.

~~restraint~~

Jasper leads Edward down the steps to his basement, since he has yet to untie him. Edward turns the light on with his elbow as they descend into the dusty cellar. It is cluttered with old furniture, boxes, and photo albums. However, Edward walks right past all the photo albums.

"This way." Edward says, leading Jasper into a far corner of his immense basement, where a few pipes run through the basement. The lighting isn't very good so Jasper can't see what hides in the crevices behind the pipes. "The photograph is between these pipes, under that brick."

Jaspers scrutinizes Edward. "Go get it."

Edward rolls his eyes. "Would you untie me then?"

"Too bad, I thought we were becoming friends." He feigns hurt. "But you screwed me over." Jasper climbs under the pipes till he is in the space between the pipes and the wall. "So that'll be a no." He then starts to explore the dim labyrinth between the pipes and wall.

"Yeah?" Edward whispers to himself. "Well, I've been screwed over my whole life." Then, Edward turns the light switch off with his elbow, and makes a dash for the stairs. He doesn't need light to know where he's going.

"Hey!" Jasper screams, and then jams the gun between the pipes, shooting aimlessly into the darkness. Edward is already up the stairs and slamming the door shut. "Shit!" Jasper cries, as he knocks into various miscellaneous boxes, trying to catch up to Edward. As soon as he reaches the top of the stairs, Edward has moved a box on top of the hatch leading back up to the house. Jasper bangs on the hatch. "Let me out, _now_!" Jasper screams, slamming himself into the hatch. It budges a little.

Edward makes a mad dash for the kitchen, and opens one of the drawers with his tied hands. He looks around for a good surface, holds the knife perpendicular to his body behind him, and then he rams the knife into the solid wood of his kitchen door. The knife stays, and Edward begins using it to cut through the ties that restrain his hands. After his ties are cut, Edward wrenches the knife out of the door, and stalks back towards the basement.

Just as Edward returns to the room with the hatch leading down to the basement, he sees that the hatch is open.

A shot rings out through the room and narrowly misses Edward by inches; Jasper stands holding the smoking gun with a mischievous grin on his face and uninhibited ecstasy in his eyes. Edward turns and hurries up the stairs. Jasper follows, only stopping to take aim and shoot at Edward, always barely missing him. He grows more discouraged the more times he misses him. As Jasper reaches the top of the stairs, Edward has disappeared into one of the rooms.

"Are you having fun yet, Eddie? I know I am!" He laughs maniacally before resolving to search the rooms one by one.

Edward peeks his head out just as Jasper disappears into the room next to him. He jumps into the master bedroom and silently shuts the door. Jasper reemerges, satisfied that the room is Edward-free.

Jasper returns to the hallway, gun ready, and senses keen. "Alright Eddie, you can come out now. I forgive you." No sound is heard (not that he expects one). Jasper starts lowly whistling Volvo's tune, antagonizing Edward, trying to psyche him out. He approaches the master bedroom; he stays still outside the room at first, listening. He hears a slight rustle from inside the room. He doesn't hesitate to kick the door open.

"You have been a very bad boy, Ed." He barks as he hunts through the room. Jasper sees a wardrobe, and an iron wrought bed; he takes a look underneath it.

Edward cries out, jumping out from behind the bed and slams the rolling iron bed into Jasper. He yelps as he is sandwiched between the wardrobe and the heavy bed. Jasper screams out in agony as the wood buckles against his weight. Edward escapes the room and runs downstairs towards the front door.

With Edward gone, Jasper kicks the bed away and chases Edward downstairs. He knows Edward won't go outside— he has him right where he wants him.

He sees Edward halt right at the front door, undecided on what to do. This second of hesitation is ideal. Jasper takes aim at the back of Edward's head, and puts his finger on the trigger. Then, Edward does something astonishing. He opens the door.

"Gah!" Edward cries when he's met with the same two policemen from the day before at his doorstep, fists raised, about to knock.

"Oh, Mr. Cullen, good day."

"H-hello. What a surprise." Edward says, making sure the door is shut enough so they don't see Jasper hiding.

The policemen exchange suspicious glances. "Are you alright, Mr. Cullen?"

Edward searches for a satisfactory answer. Was he alright? Certainly not. But he couldn't very well say that. "Yes, of course. I've just been cleaning."

"Right." He says, trying to see around Edward's solid body blocking all sight inside the house. "Do you mind if we come in sir?"

Edward stammers. "Uh, yes, actually. It's very messy, a-and—"

"Mr. Cullen, I believe it's time you let us in your home." The cop says with no room for argument.

No! He couldn't let Jasper take two more lives. "Actually sir, I—uh, can't have people in my home, because of my condition."

The policeman sighs. "Very well. We came by because two very large checks have been drawn against your account in the last two days. Are you aware of that?"

"Yes, for twenty thousand dollars." Edward replies.

"Made out to cash."

He tries to swallow. "Yes, that's right." They exchanged tense looks. "Are you here because…th-the bank contacted you?"

"The bank regularly monitors these things. They could raise you on your fine." The policeman stays steadfastly present at his doorstep. Edward shifts uncomfortably.

Just then, Edward spots Bella pulling up in his Aston Martin; the cops do too and turn to watch her.

In the car, Bella's brain goes into to overdrive at the sight of the police car. "Shit, shit, shit." She curses to herself, trying to scramble together a plan mere seconds before she must face the cops as Marie Walker. When she parks, she hastily hides her purse with the riches inside under the passenger's seat. She gets out of the car and quickly turns on her Marie persona, and walks boldly towards the policemen and her fiancée.

She stops just short of the cops, and takes a non-offensive stance, and shoots a cursory glance at Edward.

"This is my fiancée, Marie Walker."

"Ms. Walker." The policeman greets her with a tip of his hat.

"Officer." She smiles cordially then takes in Edward's appearance. "Tsk, tsk. What happened to you, dear?"

Edward laughs, feeling more relieved that he has Bella to act off of. "Oh, I was just cleaning up. Getting ready for the painters." The cops look to Bella to judge her reaction; she glances at both of them amiably then walks between them to Edward.

"This house is falling apart." She takes her place next to Edward, and presses herself into his side comfortably, pecking him lightly on the cheek.

Edward beams at her after receiving the kiss. "She's only been back for one day, and she's already running my life again." He affectionately nuzzles her neck. Bella involuntarily gets goose bumps.

Jasper is watching this unfold behind his gun, fuming. He wants to slaughter Edward where he stands now more than ever.

"I see." The policeman says, trying to make sense of what is happening.

"Sometimes things just work out for the best." Edward replies, pulling Bella tighter into his side and lightly kissing her on the forehead. "The cash withdrawals are for renovating. We're starting fresh."

The policeman nods, satisfied. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright sir." He glances at Bella and gives a polite smile. "Happy renovating."

Bella and Edward wave goodbye to the policemen as the ride away in their car. Edward holds Bella to his side like a future husband would to a future wife, and Bella can't help but relish in how wonderful it feels to be on Edward's arm.

However, the illusion is shattered when Edward is jerked back by Jasper, into the house.

~~restraint~~

**All comments, thoughts, and theories go in reviews.**

**Remember all those who review get chapter sneak peeks!  
**

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	7. Mutiny

**Short chapter, I know; but, I couldn't add anymore without giving away a good portion of the climax. Don't fret, there's definitely enough shock factor in this chapter!**

**Note: I'll be out of town from June 28****th**** to July 3****rd**** so there will be no updates until the 3****rd**** or 4****th**** (depends on if I get home early on the 3****rd**** or late in the night).**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and support, it means so much!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own…yadda yadda… **

~~restraint~~

Edward doesn't fight as Jasper ties his limbs up with duct tape multiple times, for Jasper seems to be on the brink of a psychotic break, and Edward doesn't necessarily want to be on this side of the gun when that happens. So he allows himself to be tied up. Jasper wraps the duct tape around his mouth about three times, wanting to make sure he doesn't have to hear another word from his mouth.

When he's finishes, Jasper collapses into a sitting position in front of Edward. He hangs his head for minute before looking up at Edward through glassy eyes.

"My dad and I saw this huge fucking crash. An eighteen wheeler just rolled right over this little bug of a car. There was a girl stuck in the car. I was about fifteen I guess. Anyway, Dad moves some debris out of the way, but he can't fit in there, the opening is too small. So I say, 'Hey, Dad, I can fit, I can get in there'." He laughs to himself a sad, mournful chuckle. "So I get in there and, I'll be damned, the girl's alive." Jasper's face kind of lights up with the reminiscent smile he wears. "I can just see her head and body, still strapped in the car. She was about twenty five, I learned later, but she looked like she'd just turned sixteen. She had short, spiky black hair that went in all directions. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen before. She had blood on her forehead, but she still smiled. A really big, dazzling smile." Jasper imitated her smile, and his eyes grew glassier. "She looks at me straight in the eye and says, 'you've kept me waiting a long time'. I don't really understand what she meant, I had gotten in the car as fast as I could, but I still said, 'I'm sorry, ma'am'. She laughed, a musical laugh. I just kept her talking. She told me she could see the future. I figured she was just losing too much blood, but you know what? I think she really could, deep down.

"Then, we heard the sirens. It was time for me to get out. She turns to me and says, 'Well Jasper, my name is Alice, and when I get out of here, I'm going to give you the best night of your life.'" He sort of grins to himself, a broken grin, then meets Edward's eyes again. "Which, I mean, I'm fifteen so to me, that's big news. So I get out, feeling pretty damn good. Finally, the firemen bring the jaws of life." Jasper grows very bleak as he probes Edward with his ice blue eyes. "They open the doors, and her body isn't connected to her head. Decapitated. Paramedics said she'd been dead since the moment of impact. After that, no one looks at me in the eye. My dad just pretended like it never happened, like I'm crazy. Well, guess what? Her name really was Alice. Mary Alice Brandon— but her friends and family just called her Alice. Isn't that spooky?" The hint of tears in Jasper's eyes finally turns to real tears as he remembers the late Alice.

He lets out a choking sob, and it takes him a moment to collect himself. He looks back at Edward with haunted eyes. "Anyway, Ed, I'm telling you this story because everything I've ever had has never been quite real. It all just disappears, like mist." Jasper leans forward on his knees, and brings his face close to Edward's, and drops his voice. "Except for Bella. You see, she's real. She's the only thing that matters to me; she doesn't have my heart, she _is_ my heart. And I'm not going to let _anyone_ take that away from me."

Even if Edward wasn't been bound in every way possible, he still wouldn't have been able to respond to Jasper's confession. For the first time, Edward feels he could really see Jasper's soul in his crystal blue eyes. The story his eyes tell is heartbreaking and poignant; on some level, Edward empathizes with Jasper.

Jasper rises from his spot in front of Edward just as Bella enters, and moves to the table behind him. She passes by Edward without a second glance and joins Jasper at the table. When Jasper sees her, he places his hands on either side of her head.

"I fucking love you, Bella." He gives her a quick, wet kiss, and turns away to count the money. She doesn't respond to either his profession of love or his kiss, but she smiles at his jovial reaction to the money and jewelry she has collected. "Oh, we're on our way to Thailand, baby! Not going to lie you had me worried." Bella perks up at this her brain tumbles to think of a good argument in case he called her on something. "I thought the cops had picked you up." He doesn't notice her relax a little when he says this. He gives her his warm Jasper smile, but her heart doesn't race like it used to when he smiled at her.

"It…just took longer than I thought." Bella tells him, keeping the small smile on her face. Jasper explores her eyes for a moment, seeming to be searching for something vital, some crucial sign. When he's satisfied, he reaches over and shoves his beloved gun in her hands.

"Watch out, babe. It's loaded; wouldn't want to lose me at this point, would you?" Bella doesn't give him an answer, but he's not looking for one. He just grins and moves to get something out of the drawer.

Bella takes this moment to inspect Edward, making sure he wasn't too badly injured. She knows he and Jasper got into a scuffle earlier, and she wants to make sure Edward isn't hurt. Now that she and Jasper have the money, she wonders what will become of him; she ignores how her heart breaks at the thought of never seeing him again.

"So are we just going to leave him here?" Bella inquires, and Edward looks up at her with such longing and alarm, that she's taken off guard.

Suddenly, Jasper comes up behind Edward, and covers his head with a plastic bag. Immediately Edward starts thrashing and screaming behind the duct tape. Bella's heart leaps into her throat, and she starts panicking.

"What are you _doing_, Jasper?" She half-shrieks, clutching the gun tighter in her hands.

"Calm down, Bella, it's not a bad way to go. Now be a good girl and pass me the tape, will you?" Jasper asks her nonchalantly, but his eyes hold some deeper meaning, some sort of dare to challenge him. A fight for control.

Bella feels the tears spring to her eyes, "Jasper, you said you wouldn't kill him!"

Jasper chuckles a little, "Yeah but, sweetie that was more of a little white lie." Tears poured down Bella's face as she watched Edward thrash under the plastic bag. "Did you know that he killed his own father?"

"What are you talking about—?"

"He's not as innocent as you think_,_ Bella. He's been deceiving you." He had to press down harder to keep Edward down. "His fiancée was sleeping with his dad, so he paid someone to kill him off! How sick is that? Now, pass me the damn tape, Bella. Don't make me stand here!" Jasper shouted.

In that moment, Bella wouldn't have cared if Jasper had told her that Edward was a cannibal that ate disabled children, for at that moment she knows she loves Edward, and doesn't want him to die. So she grinds her teeth and aims the gun at Jasper's head. "Let him go, Jasper."

Edward's vigor is waning, his fighting becoming more sluggish. Bella knows she has to act quickly.

Jasper's eyes grow pleading, "Oh come one, Bella, We don't have a choice—we never did. We can't let him go free."

The tears cloud Bella's vision, and she feels the ugly sobs start to rip through her. "I don't want you to kill him!"

Jasper's demeanor becomes ruthless and demanding. "You better make a fucking choice right now, because there's going to be one dead fucker in this room—"

"Stop it! Stop it, Jasper! STOP IT!" Bella screams hysterically, pointing the gun with more vitality at Jasper.

"It's him or me, Bella! MAKE YOUR CHOICE!" Jasper shouts almost as hysterically as Bella. "HIM OR ME!"

Bella aims the gun right between Jasper's eyes, and pulls the trigger…

…but nothing happens.

Bella sobs grow more violent, and she desperately pulls the trigger one more times. Two more times. Three, four, eight more times.

Jasper's eyes are steely and filled with the pain of betrayal as he stalks towards her. She points the gun at him and feebly pulls the trigger again. Jasper then presents the two bullets from the gun in his hand, and drops them at her trembling feet. Bella thinks fast, whips the gun back and swings it like a bat—but Jasper is faster. She swings, he ducks, and then he grabs her by the waist and throws her over the table, not caring if she gets hurt. There is no sound after the sounds of her body slamming against the wall from where he throws her.

Jasper turns to Edward and rips the bag off of his head. He is still conscious, and breathes in a huge breath of air. A split second later, Jasper decks him right in the mouth, and Edward tumbles over, still weakened by the asphyxiation. Edward passes out on the floor.

Jasper looks between his two unconscious companions, and lets the tears pour out. The sting of betrayal dissolves his stone heart like acid.

~~restraint~~

**Yeah I'm a bad person leaving you guys for a week without an update with a chapter end like this. If you want a next chapter sneak peek, better shoot me a review before June 28****th**** ;)**

**I would really love to hear your theories **_**now**_**, after this development!**


	8. Gorgeous Game

**Hey all and welcome back to Restraint!**

**I'm glad to be back, and post this chapter! I'll go ahead and keep this short since I had you all wait a week…**

**Disclaimer: Eh, don't own.**

~~restraint~~

Jasper has Edward by the back of the shirt and drags him to the front door. Edward struggles against him as he tries to shake off the surly bonds of sleep.

"Think of this as Dr. Hale's instant phobia cure." Jasper says as he sets him down in front of his open door. The Aston Martin is outside, and is running. Through the foggy haze of sleep, he wonders why his car is on and where Bella is.

Just barely shrouded his hard exterior, Jasper is beside himself with grief. Bella, his love, chose Edward over him; after all they'd been through, she abandoned what they had at a first glance at a pretty face with money. It still brings tears to his eyes to think about her callousness. Well, he will show them. Jasper wonders if, given the choice, Edward will choose her or his own self; he knows Edward avoids the outside world like the plague. He will show Bella that she chose wrong. That by choosing Edward over him, she sealed her own fate. Edward won't be able to push past his own mind to save Bella. He will fail her.

Edward braces himself against the doorframe of the front door, the sight of his front yard terrifying him into full consciousness. His eyes adjust to the dark and he notices a figure in the car along with some kind of fog. Edward nearly falls to his knees when he sees the hose going from the exhaust pipe to the cab of the car. Jasper's grip tightens on Edward's shoulders and he leans down to his level.

"Bella has been in there about five minutes. Now, you get out there and turn that engine off or… well, we'll just learn a harsh lesson, won't we? She'll be dead, and you'll have to live with that on your hands." Jasper let out a hard laugh. "The man who couldn't walk across his own front yard to save his girl. Go on, Eddie. GO ON!" He shoves Edward out a little. "Go you pathetic prick!"

To Jasper's shock, Edward actually takes a shaky step outside. He goads him on. "That's right Eddie—you can do it!" He grinds his teeth, thirsty for Edward's imminent failure.

Edward trembles which each unsure step he takes towards the car. The only thing keeping him from turning back and running inside is the sight of Bella, beautiful and sleeping inside the carbon monoxide filled car.

He finally reaches the car, and yanks on the handle, but it doesn't move. Edward's breath gets shallower as he pulls on the handle more.

"Oops! Did I lock the car? I forgot!" Jasper shouts, stalking up behind Edward.

Edward feebly hits the windshield. "Bella? Bella, wake up, please!" The sleeping beauty doesn't respond. Edward dashes to the other side, without hesitation, and yanks on the driver's side door. After it doesn't budge, he moves to yank on the hose that fills the car with the poisonous gas.

"Go Eddie!" Jasper cheers as he approaches, gun in hand. "I make an awesome shrink, don't I?"

Edward pulls on the hose until it's fully out of the car, and the exhaust stops filling the cab. "Bella? _Bella_!" Edward hits the window that her head is leaning against with his fist. He cries out in agony when he gets no response.

"Oh well." Jasper sighs, and cocks the gun. "At least you tried." Edward looks up as Jasper aims at his chest.

With one fleeting look at Bella and a vow to return for her, Edward darts into the darkness behind them, and towards his family's old barn.

Jasper's laugh slices through the chilly night air. "Oh you wanna play?" He fires off the gun into the sky. "Let's play." He mutters to himself. He turns back to Bella still passed out in the car. He leans down to her level, and places a soft kiss on the window, where her forehead is on the other side. Then, he follows Edward into the night.

Edward slows down once he's in his family's barn. He looks around frantically for something to use to defend himself. He spots an old tank of gasoline, and takes it before rushing deeper into the barn. He finds stacks of antiquated tires against some of the horse stalls, and chains hanging from the ceiling near them. He's suddenly very grateful that his crazy great-grandfather tried to start a car repair business from their barn back in the early twentieth century as the inklings of a plan form. Edward grabs the low hanging chains, stands behind the stacks of tires, and unscrews the gasoline container, awaiting Jasper's arrival.

Jasper comes jogging in shortly. "This is fun!" He screams into the seemingly vacant barn, causing an echo to reverberate. "How long do you think she has? Three minutes or less? She's dying, Eddie." Jasper's words slice through him, but he knows he must wait and control himself until just the right moment. Edward ignores the burn of the gasoline in his mouth, and how it feels like acid eroding away at him. "You can run like a rabbit—HA!" Jasper kicks open the door to a horse stall nearby, but finds it empty. Jasper slinks to the next one, and peers in, also finding it empty.

"I've got you figured out, Ed." Jasper yells, kicking open the door to another stall. "That's because, we're the same." Jasper walks closer to where Edward is hiding. "You act so innocent, but I know you're darker than you let on. You think you have this game won, because you fooled Bella. You can't fool me. I'm always one step ahead."

Edward throws the hanging chain out and it swings towards Jasper's head, but, he is too quick. He dodges it narrowly. Edward predicted this already though, because, ever since Jasper told him the story about Mary Alice Brandon, _he's_ had _him_ figured out. Everything Jasper ever did makes sense to him; he understands his hopes, fears, and weaknesses. He leaps out, and spits the sour gasoline right into Jasper's open eyes.

"AGH!" Jasper shouts, covering his now soaked eyes. She snarls in pain, but he still stands. "Oh, that's a good one, Eddie. But you're going to have to be better than that!" Jasper swings blindly in front of him while Edward grabs a heavy shovel. "Come on, Ed!" Edward swings the shovel at Jasper's side, and makes contact. Jasper wails and falls the ground.

Not a second later, Jasper staggers to his feet, still blinded. "Is that all you got, E—?" Edward smashes the shovel into Jasper's face not waiting for him to finish, and he crumbles to the ground. That one was for him; he hates being called anything but Edward, especially 'Eddie'. It feels so good to finally get back at him for that. He moves to leap over Jasper to get to Bella, but Jasper catches his foot, and he joins him on the floor.

"Yeah!" Jasper is positively giddy, as he stands up again, the whole lower part of his face coated deep, red. But, he's still smiling, just like poor Alice Brandon. "Put your back into it, Ed."

He does. He swings with all his might at his face and Jasper drops like he just got shot. This time he stays down. Edward first moves to go to Bella, but then turns back to Jasper feeling the need for vengeance after all he had put him through. The need to end Jasper once in for all brings him to stand over him, and place the end of the shovel against his trachea.

Jasper is still grinning. "We're the same, Edward." It doesn't go unnoticed that this is the first time he has used Edward's full name, and hasn't called him 'Ed' or 'Eddie'. Edward huffs, and lifts the shovel high, fully prepared to use it to decapitate Jasper Hale, also like the late Alice Brandon. However, a moment of hesitation strikes him. He may be a lot of things, but he refuses to be Jasper. Not that Jasper doesn't deserve to die—but that is simply too easy for him. Jasper deserves to live to face the consequences of what he's done. Jasper flinches as Edward casts the shovel halfway across the barn in disgust.

He suddenly remembers—Bella! All thoughts of Jasper are gone as he dashes back to her. He sprints out of the barn and back to the car.

Edward smashes through passenger's side window (to protect Bella from any glass)and unlocks the door. He crawls inside, and tries to rouse her. "Bella, wake up." Her eyes don't open. He rushes back out of the car, and opens the driver's door. He scoops Bella up in his arms. "Bella! Please!" He places her on the ground and starts CPR—he's suddenly grateful he took those classes.

In the middle of him trying to awaken a possibly dead Bella, Edward is viciously yanked up by a still very alive Jasper. His grin is psychotic and red colored as throws Edward to the ground. Jasper straddles him, wraps his hands around his neck and starts choking the life out of Edward the way he's wanted ever since Bella pulled the trigger to the unloaded gun. Edward tries to fend off Jasper, but Jasper is a man with nothing to lose now.

Edward is so focused on fending off Jasper, he doesn't notice Bella become animated and start coughing uncontrollably. She rolls over and coughs heavily, trying to expel the noxious gas from her lungs. The sounds of struggle force her to look over and notice Jasper strangling Edward. With the toxic gas still a haze in her brain, Bella searches for something to end this once and for all. She couldn't save Edward the first time, but she sure as hell would now. She spots an accessory to a sprinkler staked into the ground. She rolls over and it takes a lot of her strength to pull it out. Once she has it in her hands, and crawls on her knees, not fully awake enough to stand without vertigo, over to the fight. Her vision is blurry, but she can see Jasper is on top of Edward, and she knows who to hit.

Bella uses the very last bit of her strength to drive the stake into Jasper's back. She doesn't have the awareness to fully appreciate the irony of that yet.

Jasper straightens up immediately. He gasps and stands up, reaching blindly for his back, trying to reach the stake. Bella feels a strange sort of giddiness at seeing Jasper die by her own hand. There is weird satisfaction to it, she isn't able to fully process yet. He struggles for a bit, then just rests his ice blue eyes on Bella. She watches as the light fades from their depths, and they turn a dull, flat sky blue color. He falls on his back, driving the stake through his chest and out. She feels her whole body shake violently and gazes at Edward.

Edward scrambles to his feet and scoops her up in his arms protectively. "Come on now. Let's go inside." He turns around and brings her inside, not giving her a chance to watch the aftermath of her finally doing her own dirty work.

~~restraint~~

Bella lies on Edward's couch an acute numbness in her heart. She listens to Edward fumbling around in his kitchen, looking for some medicine. She meets his eyes when he enters, and squats down.

"Here you go." He smiles tenderly and hands her some pills and a glass of water. She takes the pills and drinks them down, without ever breaking eye contact.

She gulps down her nerves. "So are you going to call the cops?" She asks shyly.

Edward's eyes grow apologetic. "I have to. I've got two dead bodies on my property."

Bella feels her lower lip trembling and the sting of betrayal burn in her heart. "What about me?"

"I…suppose you'll do some time."

Anger wells up in her. "You…you bastard!"

"Bella, it's not as if the police aren't going to work out what happened here. What are our options?" Edward asks just a little bit too innocently.

She sits up and grabs the front of his shirt in rage. "I saved your life. _Twice_." Edward doesn't reply; he just stares at her. She can see the tumblers of his mind working in his eyes. Suddenly, she thinks of something.

"Don't you mean three bodies?" She asks. Edward's eyes widen in alarm and his body stiffens.

"S-Sorry?"

"What about your dad, huh? Isn't he buried out here?" She probes. She remembers Jasper mentioning how Edward murdered his own father for sleeping with his fiancée prior to his death.

"My father is alive and well, and living in Los Angeles." He smirks a little. "I wouldn't say that we're on speaking terms, but I didn't kill my father. I had to give Jasper something to hold over me to buy some time."

Bella doesn't react, the numbness breaking through her brief moment of anger. She can hardly believe that, after all they'd been through Edward is still going to turn her in to the authorities. Fresh bitter tears burn in her eyes, the disloyalty stinging her. She thought that maybe they had something special, that maybe she'd found a home in him. She looks him dead in the eye, and she continues to see Edward's mind hard at work behind them.

Edward's somber expression slowly starts to brighten, and hope glimmers in his irises. He looks up at her through thick lashes. "Tell me you love me." Bella feels her bones turn to ice at Edward's request. Not that she was particularly against the words, but this was hardly the time for that right? Weren't they just discussing how Edward lied about killing his father and how he was going to turn Bella in?

"What?" She whispers completely floored by this new direction of conversation.

"Say it. 'I love you'." Edward's says with much more forcefulness than she's ever heard him speak before.

"B-but, what about Marie?" She stammers, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Edward' s eyebrows furrow. "What about her?"

"I thought you loved _her_." Bella spits.

Edward grins crookedly and shakes his head. "Oh Bella. Don't you see? She wasn't half the woman you are. She had a pretty appearance, but she _was_ a gold digging slut. I thought she was what I wanted, but she wasn't enough. She wasn't you." He finishes tenderly. His eyes grow serious again. "Now say it. 'I love you'. Say it for me?" He begs softly at the end.

She can't deny him. "I-I love you." She whispers. It's not a lie, but she is still thoroughly perplexed.

Edward's face softens into one of sheer euphoria, "Oh honey, I love you too." He cradles her face in his hands and places a warm kiss on her lips. The kiss ignites places in her she didn't even know existed. She tries to push past these feelings; she deserves an explanation. "So very much."

Edward pulls back to look at her, dark desire burning in his eyes. "Say you want me."

Bella can't deny that this new dominant Edward appeals to her more savage side. "I want you, Edward."

Edward's eyes darken even more, and he crashes his lips to Bella's, completely taking control of the kiss. He grabs her hips and pulls her flush against him; she gasps from the intimate contact and grips his hair to anchor her. She matches him in enthusiasm, and they start a delicious war for dominance and control. As Bella's head grows cloudy, all trepidation she has about Edward is washed away. She can only feel excitement as Edward picks her up and starts heading for the stairs.

~~restraint~~

**Exciting enough? I certainly had fun writing it :)**

**Remember, all theories, thoughts, and comments go in reviews! And all those who review get a next chapter sneak peek.**


	9. Unraveled

**Hey all and welcome back to Restraint!**

**Shorter chapter today—this is it. Like **_**it**_**, it. With the exception of an epilogue, of course.**

**Disclaimer: I actually own this. This whole chapter is mine. With the exception of minor nuances. **

~~restraint~~

Bella wakes up to the sound of Edward re-entering the bedroom wearing only boxers and holding the envelope she got from the safety deposit box yesterday before everything went to Hell. He walks into the bathroom.

She rolls over and covers herself in the sheet, standing up to follow him. She shivers at the memory the soreness in her thighs ignite. Through her post-coital bliss, something nags at her.

She wonders if Marie Walker will ever return to take her life back; she hopes not. Edward told her he loved her more than he ever loved Marie, but who knows what could happen if she decided she wanted Edward back? She suddenly hates Marie Walker with every fiber of her being; Edward, this life, and everything that entails belongs to her now. No one will take that away from her.

"Do you know where she is?" She asks, standing in the doorway of the grand bathroom. Edward jumps lightly, not realizing she is awake. He looks up at her, clad only in _his_ bed sheet. He licks his lips at the sight, snapshots from last night flickering in his head.

"No. Europe, maybe." He flips on the lights, and goes digging through some drawers, setting the envelope down.

"Doesn't she have family?" Bella asks, not completely satisfied.

"They lost touch years ago." He turns to Bella and smirks. "Don't worry, she's not coming back." Bella nods and turns to leave Edward to his shower.

Then, Bella gets a mischievous idea; she wonders how Edward would feel about them showering together. The thought of the fun they would have gets her heart racing and she wastes no time making her way back to the bathroom. She rounds the corner just in time to see Edward holding something in his hands, and lighting it on fire. Bella gasp catches Edward's attention; upon closer inspection, Bella sees that he is burning the passport of Marie Walker. Edward extinguishes the fire quickly shyly edges towards her..

"What the fuck, Edward?" Was that what was in the envelope?

"Please calm down, love."

"Holy shit…" The puzzle pieces all click into place to form a terrible, abstract picture in her mind; the mystery that was, why that Marie left all of her stuff with Edward and Edward's reaction whenever Bella mentioned there being three bodies on the property. "You killed her." She whispers, not able to scream the phrase. She doesn't want to believe it, but she can no longer deny it.

Edward's eyes darken, but not like they did last night. She's suddenly fearful of him. As he moves closer to her, she roughly shoves him back. "Let me explain—"

"Your fiancée sleeps with your dad, _so you kill her_? Because breaking up is too mainstream? Who does that?" Bella asks, trying to get a grip on her sanity. Edward dashes forward and brings Bella into a tight embrace. She squirms in his arms, but he is unrelenting.

He pulls back to look into her eyes with warmth. "Not to worry, love. I was foolish; I thought I knew what true love was. I know for sure I wouldn't have it in me to kill _you_." He chuckles mirthfully. "You're much too precious."

Bella pulls away. "You son of bitch!"

Edward sighs, "Oh Bella, let's not resort to name calling."

"You monster!"

Edward remains unfazed, his jovial demeanor still very much in place. "Well it looks like we're a match made in heaven. If you look outside into the front yard, you'll find the remains of your work still there—ah, I should clean that up actually."

"I hate you! You lied to me!" Bella shrieks "Who are you? Do you even love me, or did you just use me to get what you want?" Edward quirks and eyebrow, and wraps his arms around her.

"I _love_ you, Bella." He nuzzles her neck and inhales her scent. "You are everything I could possibly want in a woman and more. You're so bright and compassionate; you're going to keep me on my toes." He pecks her neck lightly, setting her traitor body on fire. "I only thought I loved that girl because she was like you in some ways—but, she was hideous in other aspects. She was horrendously spoiled and had a cold calculating mind." He nibbles on her earlobe. "You're the only one for me, Bella.

"This is a spectacular arrangement. Bella Swan needs to disappear, and Marie Walker is missing." Edward starts kissing her up her neck, and closer to her lips. "All you would need to do is take her place." He plants a passionate kiss right on her lips.

"T-That's insane!" Bella protests. Though, she can't help but feel a rush of excitement at both Edward's kisses and the idea of being beautiful and respected her whole life. It dawns on her. Marie Walker won't be coming back, _ever_. Everything Marie had—respect, dignity, and most of all, Edward, could be hers if she takes her place. Well, she could have Edward even without pretending to be Marie, but why not indulge?

Edward hums in contentment. "Now you're getting it. And when we're married, you'll be Bella Cullen; we can just tell people that you decided to go by your middle name _Isabella_. People won't think twice about it. If you have money, you can be as eccentric as you please without scrutiny."

Edward smirks, "This is destiny, love."

Bella pulls away, trying to wrap her mind around her discovery. "But you _killed_ her."

"And you killed Jasper."

Bella can't deny that; she did kill Jasper. Strangely, she doesn't mourn his death, but merely mourns what they once had. Well not even that—she's actually angry. She was convinced what she and Jasper had was love in its highest form, but all they had a lopsided relationship full of dysfunction and abuse, that was bound to crash eventually.

She peeks out the window and sees Jasper's corpse still out in the front yard for God and all to see, and she doesn't feel even a pang of guilt or regret for the act. Why did killing freak her out so much before? Maybe that was it—maybe Bella just had to be on the other end of the gun for once to understand. To understand the rush of watching someone's life drain from their eyes, all because you willed it. No, not just killing someone for the sake of it; watching someone's eyes as they realize they were wrong about you. Seeing it dawn on them that they were wrong about you being a weakling, and that they were ensnared in your web since the first time they saw you. To see the power shift in favor of you.

Bella feels different, changed. Her past life was bad, and she had thought that Jasper was her angel, come to save her. But, he turned out to be nearly as bad. Abusing her and controlling her. Bella is so fucking sick of being controlled; she isn't going to take it anymore.

She realizes right then, she is in the exact right place to be. People could control Bella Swan for a myriad of reasons; lack of money, confidence, or pride. But Marie Walker wouldn't be controlled. Marie Walker had money, beauty, and respect to exercise her power to its full extent. The only thing missing was Marie Walker herself.

By this time, Bella is trembling. Not with fear, but with adrenaline. Killing Jasper is possibly the best thing she's ever done, and she feels the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

It is then, she understands why Edward is, and always will be, her only love. Edward understands what it's like to exercise power and to break free of control; hell, he did it with her and Jasper without them knowing it. He restrained himself until he gained the upper hand and beat out Jasper and won Bella. Maybe winning Bella wasn't originally part of the plan, nor was killing Jasper, but Edward got what he wanted. Bella is beginning to think that Edward gets everything he wanted; he seems to always hold the aces. He appeared to be weak, but he was always one step ahead of them. Each move Edward made was deliberate and well thought out. Bella doesn't feel played or manipulated when she realizes this; she's in awe. She wants to learn how to do it herself.

Bella turns back to Edward, and sashays up to him; he's watching her, trying to gauge her mood. She presses herself against him and slings her arms around his neck.

"I love you, Edward." She places a soft peck on his lips. She pulls back, and stares into his shocked eyes. "Teach me."

The tenseness in Edward's eyes melts when he hears her profession of love; his eyes twinkle with delight as he returns the kiss. "Teach you what, love?"

She feels a crooked smile crawl onto her face. "How to exercise restraint."

~~restraint~~

**So there you have it. My ending. I know that in the movie, the leading woman just kind of um…stares out a window? Well, she suspects that Andrew (our Edward) did something to Gabrielle (Marie), but stays quiet and proceeds to stare out a window and the camera pans out and the credits roll. The movie never comes out and admits that he murdered Gabrielle, but it is implied and sort of left to the imagination. I couldn't help but feel a little cheated and yearning for more at the end, though. Maybe it was just me. **

**I would love to hear what you think of this ending as compared to the movie ending, if you've seen it!**

**And if you haven't seen it, you should. Stephen Moyer is all sorts of perfect as Andrew (along with being a gifted actor, he's also very adorable). And Teresa Palmer who plays Dale (our Bella) is just gorgeous and talented and I may have a bit of a lady crush on her. And Travis Fimmel is just… gosh he's so flawless as Ron (Jasper), he really digs deep down to convey the many layers of his characters and his monologue with Andrew where he's telling the story of the car crash is heart wrenching. They're just so great in their roles.**

**Alright I'm done fangirling out. Please review, I want to hear what you think of this turn in events! All who review get a sneak peek of the epilogue.**


	10. Phoenix Bird of Prey

**Hello all, and welcome back to Restraint for the last time!**

**I want to thank each and every one of you reading this, and especially those who have reviewed. You all have kept this story alive and thriving! I've had lots of fun exploring these characters and I'm so happy you all care enough to follow them through their journey.**

**Note: I got a review from Ashley, asking for the name of one of my favorite stories mentioned on my profile. Sadly, your email didn't show up, since ffnet disables all links. The thing is, I went looking for the story, and I couldn't find it on ffnet. It's called "In the Deepest Space" by loss4words but it's not on the website anymore… but I found it on blogspot (here's the link:** ** loss4words81 . blogspot 2010 / 10 / in – deepest – space – chapter – 1 – last – breath . html [just remove the spaces]). If the link doesn't work, just message me and I'll try once more. There is another story out there called "Written in the Stars" by: Lissa Bryan that **_**is**_** on the website, and is similar in some aspects (but don't get me wrong, the two stories are **_**completely**_** different, and amazing in different ways). Both stories are **_**so**_** great. Hope this helps!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight stuff belongs to Mrs. Meyer, and the plot belongs to David Denneen and Dave Warner. Except for the last chapter and epilogue—those are mine.**

THREE YEARS LATER

"That'll be three-hundred forty three dollars and sixty two cents." The cashier declares, encasing the little red dress with protective plastic and carefully arranging the matching red stilettos in the bag. Her costumer doesn't hesitate to hand over a black, shiny credit card. She scans it, and it of course goes through. _As if any card from a Cullen would be declined_, she remarks internally.

The cashier watches as the dim overhead light is captured by her costumer's colossal wedding ring. She hadn't met Marie until now—oops, _Bella_, she corrects in her head. It had been the talk of the town that with her new marriage, the new Mrs. Cullen had announced that with her new husband, she was acquiring a new title as well. Something about starting fresh and spiritual rebirth for a healthy marriage. She goes by her middle name now. She sighs to herself, _people who are filthy rich do anything to change up their dreary lives sometimes, don't they_? The Cullen fortune was well known in the Pacific Northwest, even after most of the family dispersed to different parts of country, so news of Edward Cullen's new little wife spread like wildfire. Many of her coworkers speculated that Bella Cullen would be stuck up and vain, but she doesn't see it at all. She's pleasantly surprised to find that she seems sweet on the inside, though she certainly knows how to carry herself and treat those around her like a pro.

But she won't tell her coworkers that. She just started here last year, and isn't fully established into the tight knit circle of coworkers here. She used to work part time as a bartender at this raunchy club called _Twilight_ , but after the owner was mysteriously abducted, then found later in the trunk of a truck, at the bottom of Lake Crescent, she decided she had to make a life change. So she quit her job, left her addict boyfriend, and moved to a quieter town, Port Angeles. There weren't too many high end stores at this end of the state, but this was definitely the ritziest outside of any stores in Seattle or Tacoma. She was thankful to have such a good job in such a time of economic depression.

"Thank you, and enjoy your fabulous outfit, Mrs. Cullen." She says brightly, hoping to leave a good impression with Bella. She wants her to come back—as long as this store had Cullen business, it was sure to stay afloat. They wouldn't have to worry about attracting other costumers. Wherever Bella Cullen shopped, there was business.

Bella smiles at her softly. "Thank you very much for your help, Bree. And please, call me Bella." Bree grins in return at Bella's informality.

When it registers that Bella called her by her name, she smiles wider; she is flattered that _the_ Mrs. Cullen had taken the time to notice her name tag. As she studies her wide, brown eyes, a bell goes off in the back of her head. Something about her face sets off a flag in her memory.

"This is probably impossible but—have we met before?" She doesn't think she has; she certainly would have remembered. Bella's smile drops for a fraction of a second before she's all smiles again.

"No, I don't think so."

Bree blushes, feeling stupid for troubling Bella. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

"No problem—see you later!" Bella exits the store, holding her merchandise, without so much as even a glance back.

An hour later, Bree is closing up the shop. She passes by a mirror while she checks to make sure everything in the store is secure; she stops to inspect her appearance, as any female would. Bree smoothes out her black blouse, but stops when she notices that she's not wearing a name-tag. She exhales shakily when she remembers—she left her nametag on her kitchen table this morning.

~~restraint~~

Bella wipes the proverbial sweat off of her brow as she walks away from the store; it was nice seeing Bree again. She and Bree never conversed much back at _Twilight_, but she seemed like a kind girl. Bella wasn't worried that she had accidentally let her name slip. She was positive that, even if Bree noticed, it wouldn't make her jump to conclusions. Bella had almost mastered the art of burying her past.

It's almost nightfall, Bella realizes with a sigh. She'd parked all the way by this vintage book store, and decided to walk down the boardwalk before shopping for her outfit for her and Edward's date night coming up. They'd been married for nearly two and a half years now, and yet her heart still flutters when she gets ready for a date night with him. He'd been hinting at wanting to have children, and she figures he'll officially bring up the subject for discussion at said date night. Bella isn't sure how she feels about kids at this point in her life, but she was certainly open to talking about it with Edward. She could talk to Edward about anything—over the course of their relationship, they'd fallen into easy companionship. They were easily each other's best friends.

Not that she was opposed to children. In fact, she felt warmth at the thought of a little child with Edward's eyes and her hair, or vice versa. A product of their love, living and breathing. Yes, they certainly would talk about it tonight.

She huffs at the thought of walking by the boardwalk all the way back to the car; she'd taken the scenic route in haste, she realizes. She could easily just cut through the industrial part of Port Angeles and reach her car in half the time.

Bella hears her phone ding, indicating she has a text message. She takes her phone out of her purse, quickly, and sees it's from Edward.

_Hi, love. Just wondering when you're going to be home. Miss you._

_-E_

Bella quickly types a reply. She knows he knows that she is shopping for something to wear tonight; his impatience makes her smile goofily. She makes a left, not really paying attention to where she is going.

_Patience is a virtue, my love. I'll be home in an hour and a half at the latest._

_-B_

She puts her phone away. When she looks up, she discovers, though, that she has gotten herself completely lost. Bella does a quick spin around, trying to see where she came from, but all she can see is unfamiliar warehouses and a few bars.

When her eyes rest on the most grotesque looking bar on the street, the door to said bar bursts open, and a group of drunken idiots stumble out not fifty feet from her. They are laughing at something that probably wasn't funny. She knows better than to ask for directions from them; even if they were inclined to help her, they didn't look like they could find their way out of a cardboard box if they tried, they were so inebriated.

Bella sees the sun setting on the horizon perpendicular from where came from; she knows that the boardwalk is on the west side of town. If she can find the boardwalk, Bella sure as hell can find her car.

She turns around and starts walking towards the setting sun.

"Hey you!" She hears a drunken voice call at her from behind. She shakes her head, groaning to herself. She grips her purse and shopping bag tighter, picking up her pace. "You're pretty…" Another calls and laughs. She hears footsteps approaching her from behind, and she realizes these men are insistent on making her acquaintance.

Bella squeezes her purse, making sure all her emergency items are prepared. She feels her switchblade at the bottom of the bag as well as her little pistol. Bella is always prepared, and she has enough fighting skills to knock someone's head clean off if they tried to take her on. She and Edward had seen to it that Bella was one force not to be reckoned with.

Bella feels the familiar itch and excitement in her heart when she hears heavy footsteps behind her. These pathetic, small time criminals had no idea what they were getting themselves into. She feels an itch at the back of her throat; if they are so bent on playing, she is game.

Bella doesn't go looking for trouble, she's no sadist, but she finds it, she is eager to show it just how wrong it is to hunt her.

She quickly whips out her phone and texts Edward.

_I'm going to be later than I thought. Love you._

_-B_

She knows that Edward will probably be here in forty-five minutes or so to make sure she's safe. Or to help clean up the mess. Or, if the game lasted that long, to join. He has over-protective tendencies; she's told him many times that she can handle these things on her own, but he won't budge. She knows he means well, and loves her so she doesn't complain too much when he gets like this. Over the years, he's gotten much better about worrying. She even secretly enjoys it when he joins sometimes; these experiences help them to bond and strengthen their love and devotion to each other.

She relishes the feeling of knowing that these men think they've got her trapped. She knows three of them have broken off from the group to intercept her at approximately the next intersection. She knows the two men behind her are keeping their distance on purpose; it's called herding. Bella occasionally looks over her shoulder, carefully constructing her expression to be one of trepidation, to give off the right vibe. She doesn't want to give herself away too soon and spoil the party.

As she rounds the corner, and discovers that she was right. The other three men stand there against the wall, waiting for her with enthusiastic expressions. She makes sure to look terrified.

She trembles in anticipation. She gets a strange high from putting what Edward taught her into practice. She gets a thrill from watching the reactions of people who try to control her when they realize she is two steps ahead of them, and _they_ were actually the victims. She is God in these little worlds she creates.

She hears her heart pounding in her head, and it takes all of her restraint not to grin as the obvious leader of the group of thug steps in front of her.

"Where are you going, sugar?" He asks, studying her with the eyes of a predator. She looks up him with perfectly rehearsed doe eyes full of terror.

"S-stay away from me." She stutters and turns to pretend to try to flee. They all close in on her, with hunger burning in their eyes; though, their hunger is minimal compared to hers hidden behind the facade. She carefully catalogs each man in her mind, their apparent weaknesses, and a complete plan on how to defeat each one in the most rewarding way. These games most times didn't involve murder, it was simply too messy, and she's not looking to gain a long list of murders. Bella is a teacher at heart, and instills these lessons into her lessons with vigor. The most rewarding lessons are those taught to sex offenders; at least, to Bella they were. She will make them, especially their obviously cruel leader, pay for each and every ounce of pain they've caused to other vulnerable human beings for their own satisfaction.

The leader reaches out and grips her forearm and that's what seals his fate. Bella lets out a feigned yelp in agony. "Don't be like that, baby. We're just going to have some fun." He says lowly, lust emanating from every orifice.

_Yes_, she muses, _fun indeed_.

~~restraint~~

**And that's all she wrote! She being me. That's really punny. How cheesy can I be?**

**The terrible rhyming was on purpose. I'm sorry.**

**Please, let me know what you thought of the epilogue and the story as a whole, and I'd like to thank all you wonderful readers for the last time, and my beautiful betas Lexie and Izzy.**


End file.
